


Survivor's Guilt

by IrishBabby



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Angst, Drug Use, F/M, Game Spoilers, Gun Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Spoilers, Trust and Lies, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-31
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-05-30 08:26:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 69,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6416209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrishBabby/pseuds/IrishBabby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>About a Sole who's unsure of the decisions she made in the Commonwealth, the people she hurt only to get to her son, with such a cost, and no reward. She spends her time busy, ignoring the present and dwelling on the past, angry at what time has taken from her. Finding ways to deal with the present hasn't been easy, and she's finally run out. (Hancock Love/Institute Timeline)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Dance

Every radiation storm seemed to be following her. It reared its ugly head every time she headed out from any of her established settlements. She was tired of this. The radiation and the death, following her everywhere she went. Leaving Sanctuary was something she was eager to do, but now she had a day-long walk to her next bed, and now she would have to take the rest of her RadAway.

She checked her pistol; she was ready to head towards Diamond City, for both sleep and work. She needed the extra caps these days. She was becoming restless listening to the settlers of Sanctuary complain about their aching backs. Their comments bothered her. She should be the one complaining about her wounds from battles, she made this place safe, why should they complain to her about these mundane pains? She had built their beds, filtered their water, defended their home, and they thought they could complain about aching feet?

Deep down she knew, it was the past that really bothered her. The last year followed her like a cloud of radiation smoke. Bearing down on her until she couldn't breath. She had taken months of her time collecting various recourses so she could find her son, and in the end she had nothing to show for it. Her efforts were for nothing, and the dead often haunted her.

Losing Shaun for the second time had really taken a toll on her. She had ignored requests from the institute and placed Dr. Allie Fillmore in charge, Allie had understood. Her loyalty to her son had caused her to betray The Brotherhood, and many people she considered friends. But it was worth it for the short time she had with Shaun. It broke her heart to have felt like she had still given birth to him, and within the same year, have to watch him die of old age. It was unfair to her, and the boy synth that her real Shaun had given her, only made her cringe at the thought of losing him a third time, so she left the Boy Synth in the care of the Institute's Advanced Systems. Forever plagued by the want to bring him a hot plate.

She was happier this way, taking mercenary money, trading bullets for caps. It all helped her forget that she was so unhappy from missing her old life. She forced herself to move on, and for a while now building three new homes full of beds for both Sanctuary and Sunshine Tidings made her content. But she missed that kiss of a bullet, the thrill of the chase, she wanted to feel alive again. The first thing she wanted was a drink. From being around the Minutemen, she had to be an example of a hard working leader, and that didn't exactly allow her to get blind drunk like she wanted.

A few hours had brought her to the familiar streets of downtown Boston. She was doing her best to weave in and out of alleyways to avoid Mutants and Raiders. She just wasn't in the mood to deal with any of them, let alone waste her few bullets. The trading up north was shit, and she needed to restock, in fact she even wanted to see what work there would be for her in Goodneighbor. She always admired Kleo's arsenal of weapons, clearly she was more enthusiastic than Arturo, and if she sacrificed an extra hour she could find her way to Goodneighbor and settle with a bed at the Hotel Rexford and a couple drinks at the Third Rail.

Since it was the past haunting her, she also figured inviting Kent Connolly and reminiscing about the old days wasn't a bad idea either. She began to find the promise of a good night exciting, and wondered why she hadn't thought of it before.

She had to shoot a couple feral dogs on her way past Diamond City. She was tired now, and could definitely feel the rads she had obtained through out the day. "Butcher Pete," played on her PipBoy. The upbeat song giving her a little extra drive to make it the whole way to Goodneighbor, and when she finally made it, she had never seen such a welcoming neon sign. She slipped in the front door, relieved that she could holster her pistol and relax.

She obtained the last room at the Hotel Rexford and changed into a jacket and some jeans she had come across in the Fenz. Surprisingly they were her size, as she had slowly wasted away to bones. Two hundred years ago there was a multitude of food, but now she found herself growing sick of melons and gourds. The occasional can of cram was enough to wash down the rad taste from most of what she ate, but as always the can couldn't hide it's age, and that came out in the flavor. Food either tasted like radiation, or age, neither of them appetizing. At least tonight she could forget the taste with a beer.

When she entered the Memory Den and Dr. Amari looked at her from across the room. Amari shook her head with a look of disappointment on her face. Nora knew Amari was upset about the Institutes growing presence in the Commonwealth. She quickly looked away from Amari's gaze and found Kent, still sitting by his radio, smiling at cardboard cutouts of The Silver Shroud.

"Kent." She said.

"Shroud! It's good to see you!"

"Fancy a few drinks at the Rail?" she asked him.

"I'll always have a drink with the Shroud." Kent said.

"Figured we could talk about the good old days, you know, without throwing your money to the Memory Den." She said.

"Always good with me," Kent said as grabbed his crumpled fedora and followed her out of the memory den. The Third Rail had plenty of empty seats, and Magnolia graced the usual patrons with her sultry jazz. Nora realized she wasn't one of the comfortable people here. The things Magnolia sand about where about a life she didn't know. She felt like such a freak to still try and remember Pre-War ways. It was pointless, but like Kent, she found that the better times of her past were long gone. She was left with nothing in this life, no son, no husband, no home, just dystopia.

Whitechapel Charlie got irritated with their purchase of only one beer, but she made him happy when she also purchased a bottle of whiskey.

"Appreciate you takin' care of those rats in the Warehouses. But I'm not too happy with that beer-brewing robot you put up in the Rexford. No one wants the beer I sell because it's not cold." Charlie said.

"Sorry Charlie. I thought the people of Goodneighbor could use the extra libations."

"Everyone seems to like his jokes! Apparently I'm not 'funny' enough. I could tell jokes. If I wanted." Charlie said.

"I'm sure you could Charlie, but you're much better at bullying people into buying more drinks. The more caps the happier you are." Nora said.

"That's true. What the hell do I need to tell a joke for?" Charlie said.

Kent and gestured to her to take a seat, one where they could see Magnolia and the rest of the bar. They reminisced about old episodes of the Silver Shroud, recalling plots, and what commercials they hated most. Kent hated the commercial for Abraxo Cleaner because it had the worst jingle that would get stuck in your head for hours.

Their nostalgia lasted for a while, and she realized the music and the alcohol was bringing her to a place in the present that she enjoyed. This was rare and she chose to revel in it. Nora even managed to get Kent to dance with her. They danced a Pre-War dance that caught the eye of a few patrons, as it seemed to be something no one remembered. Nora had her arms around Kent and a smile on her face, this is the kind of night she missed.

* * *

 

From across the room the Goodneighbor's Mayor was watching Nora. Charlie had mentioned that she took care of his warehouse problem. He had admired her ability to finish a job so quickly, and now he marveled in the way she treated that Ghoul as a friend. John Hancock had spoken to Kent once or twice and found his Pre-War ramblings to be a bit dull; he was the odd charity case around Goodneighbor. And now, here he was, dancing with one of the prettiest girls to ever walk past the Goodneighbor gate. Hancock wanted to be in Kent's position.

"Who's the new girl?" Hancock asked his comrade. 

Fahrenheit reminded him that he had met her once before. Back when the girl had less scars and a more fearful look on her face.

_"…You stay cool and you'll be part of the neighborhood." he remembered saying to her._

_It was that day Finn had been mouthing off and started to bother a newcomer giving Hancock the perfect reason to make an example of him right there in the street._

"You know, I don't spose' I ever met the girl." Hancock said.

"Then why don't you go for it." Fahrenheit said. "What's stopping you?"

"Yer a kidder, F. Finish off those Mentats and I'll see you later." Hancock said, tossing a box into Fahrenheit's lap. He stood up, straightened his authentic red coat and walked over to the bar. Charlie handed him a beer.

"In all my years sir, I've never seen someone dance in your bar like that." Charlie said referring to Nora. "I could get Ham to throw her out if-"

"No, no Charlie, we don't throw people out for having a good time." Hancock said with a smile.

Kent brushed past him and took a seat, looking like he had the spins, he didn't get out much. Surely Kent was about to turn in for the night. Hancock turned and found himself locking eyes with the pretty drifter. And he figured now was his chance.

"Got a name, dame?" he said offering her the untouched beer in his hands.

"I've got a few names these days," she took the beer and tossed back a swig. "The Brotherhood calls me traitor, the Railroad calls me scum, the Raiders and Gunners have very special pet names for me..." Nora smiled, feeling her buzz hit her in waves. "Then there's the Minutemen who call me their General, and Kent here even calls me the Shroud. So I've got a lot of names, you're welcome to just pick one." She said taking another large swig from the beer bottle.

"I'm all for nicknames," John said. "But how about the name you like. A first name?" he asked.

She hesitated at first. It seemed like she hadn't heard her own name in the Commonwealth, since she had crawled out of the vault.

"The name's Nora." She said.

And a breath of fresh air came over her.

"Nora, pretty name for a pretty gal." said Hancock. "You dance really well, never seen someone with moves like that."

"It's this old television show, it's hard to explain." Nora said. And after another drink, the beer was gone.

"Can I get you another?" he asked. "Or something a little better?"

"What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"Mentats, Jet, you name it." Hancock said.

Nora was unaccustomed to chems. She had taken jet once to get out of a tooth and nail firefight. But never to just relax.

"Tell you what, you seem like a Jet girl, you knock this back and let me know when you're having a good time." Hancock said handing her the inhaler.

Nora took it in her hands and didn't think twice. She put the inhaler to her lips and let the thick smoke billow out of her mouth. Her face had melted under a thousand atom bombs. It was thrilling.

The night became a little different for her then. She found Hancock by her side constantly, calling her things like "dame, beauty, softskin, and Nora." _He was calling her Nora._ Something she had needed for a long time. They became friends quickly and reserved the night for drinking and laughing. Kent talked a lot about the old days, like he usually did and Hancock liked hearing about pre-war things when it was Nora saying them. And since she had taken a hit of jet Nora had become very friendly, she was quite flirtatious. Hancock liked the way her ass looked in those pants, and the way her neck and shoulders looked so vulnerable in her tight tank top. 

After the good times had passed at the bar, they exited and began to say their goodbyes in the courtyard.

Hancock had something to ask, "You got a place to stay Nora?"

"I do." she said. "The hotel."

"You could always stay with me instead, I mean, I am only a few yards away…" Hancock said as he placed his arm around her side.

"I'm alright, I think that I can stay on my own tonight." She said teasing him.

"Come on Shroud, I'll take you back." Said Kent offering her his hand.

"Don't worry brother, I got her from here, you head on back to the Den and I'll take her to Rexford." Hancock told him. "I'll make sure she gets back safe."

"If you say so, Mayor." Kent took a few steps away from them and watched the two of them head towards the Rexford before he entered the Memory Den. Hancock still had his arm around her. 

"The top floor, third on the right." Nora said, as they walked into the foyer. 

"You got it girl." Hancock said as he began to help her up the stairs. He really wanted to be with this girl. He needed to be. He was tired of the half-baked girls that wandered around Goodneighbor looking for his attention. They were boring, bad in bed, and certainly not as pretty as Nora.

At her doorway Nora became slightly more sober and placed her arms across the doorway, making a barricade with her body, she signaled for Hancock to 'stop.'

"You're not getting in here tonight." Nora said a cheeky grin plastered on her face. 

"Oh, give me a chance..." Hancock said. "…I'll make it worth your while. I need to share that room with you tonight." he was so close to her that Nora teased him by lightly touching him, almost not at all, but just enough to drive him mad.

She shook her head no. Hancock had watched her dance with a ghoul, bewitch him with her looks, and she even made him laugh a few times. He wanted her, and she was turning him down.

But then she grabbed him, held herself against his chest and swayed to the dull music playing on her Pip-Boy. Hancock responded by holding her and dancing with her in the dark hallway. Slowly feeling what it was like to have this sort of moment with someone. She danced with him the same dance she had done at the bar, only she was holding him considerably more close than she had held her friend, Kent.

Then the song stopped. And Hancock's world stopped. And Nora told him goodnight.

* * *

Mid afternoon crept through the small window frame in her room. Though the light was small, it was assertive. And the gleaming headache that gathered in the back of her brain was beginning to pulse. The night prior was a bit of a blur. She felt as though she had a good time, and was painfully aware of how much she drank. Nora pulled herself out of bed and strapped on her Pip-Boy, she admired the tan line she had acquired from its prolonged use. Nora checked the time and felt slightly relived that most of the day was gone, and she could easily lose herself in another night of forgetting about Shaun.

She drank an entire carton of clean water; happy with the way it eased her headache. In her bag she saw another inhaler of Jet that had been hanging around for quite some time. She remembered taking Jet last night, and how quickly the decision had some to her. Again, she put the new inhaler to her lips and let the chem take control.

With the Jet, she felt like she could live days without thinking about Shaun. It took her mind away from the things that made her sad and she could find a little happiness in the way it made her feel.

Nora came to understand a valid sense of time after a few moments. With this little kick of Jet she found it easier to get dressed and walk outside her room. The Jet made her a bit fuzzy, like poor reception to a television after it's effects had subsided, but she could still feel the Jet lingering in her system.

Kent Connolly was standing in the middle of the courtyard,

"Hey there Shroud." Said Kent.

"Hi." Said Nora, still adjusting to her dulled senses.

"You okay? I just wanted to make sure you got to sleep okay. You know. Cause well I mean…"

"What do you mean?" Nora asked.

"Well cause you were pretty out of it. I didn't know if Hancock left or if er…"

Nora remembered now. Hancock had taken her back to her room. He had been with them through most of the night. He had been very forward about his interest in her. And she could see now Kent was concerned for her.

"Did you wait out here for me all morning?" Nora asked.

"Well there was a Rad Storm this morning, and I thought I'd soak some up. Figured I'd run into you eventually. I just uh, didn't know, you know cause you were just out of it, I wanted to make sure you were okay n' all." Said Kent.

"I'm just fine, Kent. I got there safe and sound, nothing to be concerned about." Nora said. She reached in her back pocket and pulled out a cigarette Hancock had offered her the other night. She lit it with her lucky gold lighter and took her first drag in over two hundred years. It reminded her of college, and how she quit because she was pregnant with Shaun. Somehow the cigarette reminded of her a simpler time, without Shaun and she liked it. And even though the tobacco was stale, the smoke and aroma was there and she found another thing that made her a littler happier.

Kent explained how last night had got him so excited he had scheduled a visit to the memory den, and he had to leave her, but would happily obliged meeting her later for another drink if she wanted. And as Kent left and Nora sat in the middle of the town square, finally thinking of her present and what she could do about it. Nora's Pip-Boy was softly playing Easy Living by Billie Holliday. It was the same song that had come on last night when Hancock was standing in her doorway, the same song in which she felt compelled to wrap her arms around him. His advances were flattering, but not something Nora could even comprehend responding to. Not when she's lost so much.

But for some reason she couldn't shake the memory. As the song played, she smiled.

* * *

 

"Beautiful girls should be a crime." Hancock said.

"So I'm guessing it didn't go as planned?" Fahrenheit asked.

"I got to the door. I'm a Ghoul. I get to the door all the time, but sometimes it gets shut in my face." Hancock said.

"So what. If the girl was rocking liquor with jet, she probably would've been a bad lay any way."

"Hey, she was just fine. She didn't even need me to walk her to the door, I just wanted to." Hancock said. "Hoping my being a gentlemen would get me somewhere, ya feel me?"

Fahrenheit laughed at the word gentleman. And Hancock grew tired of talking to F, and walked outside to get some air, while Fahrenheit composed herself.

He lit up a cigarette and tossed the match aside. Taking a drag he walked around the corner and then he saw Nora, sitting on a bench outside the Third Rail.

"Hey dame." He said. "Mind if I sit? I know I ain't easy on the eyes or nothin."

"The seat's yours." Nora said. Taking and another drag.

"How'd the rest of your night treat ya?" Hancock asked. "I hope it was as good as it could be without me there to keep you company." Hancock winked at her, still just as flirtatious as ever.

"I slept better than I have in a while." Nora said. "Even without you." She teased.

"Yeah why's that?" Hancock asked. "I know we Ghoul's ain't easy to look at…"

"It's not that, It's... I'm not the best company right now. Everything can change in an instant, whether or not you're ready. This wasn't the world I wanted, but it was the one I found myself in." she said. "The Commonwealth is just harder on some more than others. And maybe I've finally given up on fighting it, and for the first time in a long time I felt like I could sleep."

"I can understand that. You seem to know a lot about Kent's past. The old days interest you?" Hancock asked.

"Interest me? They haunt me." Nora said. "They're just a reminder of everything that was taken from me."

"Come on doll. Give me the your story. I ain't gonna judge you turning me away or nothing, it's all personal to you, but I can't help but wanna know your story." Hancock said.

"I'm a vault dweller from up north, near Sanctuary. I've been on ice since the bombs fell. Woke up almost a year ago." She said.

" _Damn,_ a vault dweller, and an original one at that? Never heard of such a thing. I bet this place was tough to wake up to."

"Baptism by fire I suppose. I know my way around a weapon, and I've gotten good at killing. That part wasn't hard. It was the people… the people I wanted to trust and the people I betrayed. Everything just hit me so fast; I let a few people down. Now that part of my life is behind me I'm trying to find a way to move foreword, but I'm not used to it like most people are."

"Well Goodneighbor is a good place to start. No one here's gonna judge, and if you can hold your own, there is no reason you can't call this place home. How about I buy you another drink? Charlie is always serving drinks."

"Yeah, drinking has been a good place to start." Nora said. "Helps me relax."

"Well girl, I'm the king of relax, you just make sure to hang around me and we'll get ya' taken care of."

Nora tossed her cigarette to her side and took Hancock's arm; together they walked down to the Third Rail where Charlie gave them two beers at no charge. Nora noticed a drifter and a Ghoul take in an eyeful of their Mayor. It seemed that they were jealous that Hancock was giving Nora his attention. Nora didn't appreciate the glare she got from either of the drifter girls. But she finished her beer and realized she didn't care. She popped a Mentat she had in her back pocket, another gift from Hancock, and sat back to enjoy her conversation. She told him all about waking up and running into the Minutemen, the Raiders she had killed, the mutants she fought, and the friends she had acquired. _Though,_ she left out the time she had spent at the Institute. In fact she left it out of all her conversations. If she didn't have to tell her friends everything, she wouldn't. The hatred that came from everyone about the Institute made Nora feel uncomfortable because they didn't understand, and there was really no proper way to explain. Then Hancock asked the question she dreaded.

"You got any kids? You know before the war?"

Nora had taken off her wedding ring and scrapped it long ago. Her husband was a distant memory except for the memory she had of him trying to keep Kellogg from taking Shaun.

She looked at Hancock and with a short answer she said, "No. No Kids."

Their conversation went on and she found that she enjoyed his company, and missed having someone to talk to like this.

"Hey if you're looking into some work, I've been curious about Pickman's Gallery. It's a little north of here. It's raider territory, but it's been quiet lately. Too quiet. If you check it out for me, there's some caps in it for you." Hancock told her.

"Sure no problem." Nora said, happy to have more busy work. Their conversation paused as Magnolia began to sing Train, Train. Hancock offered her a Buffout tablet. Time slowed and she found that Hancock was swinging her around the dance floor while she listened to Magnolia tell Nora's life story in a song.

It seemed that Nora and Kent has sparked some sort of new feel to the Third Rail, Hancock and Nora were no longer the only people dancing, it seemed that people weren't afraid to let loose, especially with their Mayor setting the example. Having her arms wrapped around Hancock reminded her of Belly Hutton song about the dangers of a charismatic man. She knew that this ease he made her feel was dangerous. She felt an even deeper hunger liven within her when Magnolia started singing her tribute to Goodneighbor. The song made her conscious of the different drugs in her system, and very conscious of the hands around her hips.

How she had fallen into this dance twice boggled her mind. It brought her pleasure being wanted and needed by someone, but still, she dreaded the idea of losing anyone ever again. And of course, it seemed like living in the Commonwealth was a great way to get someone killed.

Before the song was over she pulled away and headed to a back room, filled with a couple chairs and tables, she wondered what sort of business usually occurred in such a place. Nora didn't know what she was doing. These chems made her feel so much more relaxed. Almost like she was letting her guard down, and she was venerable. She didn't like feeling venerable.

"You alright?" Hancock asked her.

"Yeah." Nora said. "Seems that I'm just a bit dizzy." She said. "I think I need to go lie down."

"My bed is always open." Hancock offered.

"Well aren't you a cheeky bastard. How do you get away with it?" Nora asked as she watched a devilish grin cross his face.

Hancock leaned into Nora, and she quickly found her back against a wall.

"Cause I'm good when I'm in bed. I know my way around, enough so that those girls you saw back at the bar were staring daggers at you because they would beg to be in your position. They've had me before and they want me again. I get away with being cheeky because I'm damn good at it." He said.

The hair on Nora's neck stood up at the feeling of his warm breath against her skin. She knew he was telling the truth. And that made her even dizzier. She pressed her hand against his chest lightly at first, and then she gently pushed him away.

She felt his recoil, he stood back from her, and she could tell that behind those black eyes he was hurt.

"You know I like you, you're a pretty thing. But I get it." Hancock said. "This mug scares off a few."

"Hancock wait," Nora said, as he had already turned away from her, but she didn't let his hand slip completely from her grasp. "You know I can't stand to lose anything. Anyone. My whole life was taken from me, I'm trying to rebuild it."

"Come on darling, I'm not going anywhere. I'm a Ghoul. I'm immortal." he sad with a wink.

Without warning, Nora pulled him close and let herself kiss him. His words were something she wanted to be promised, she wanted someone who couldn't go anywhere. She kissed him the kind of feverish way you would kiss someone you may never see again. And just for a moment she let herself be happy. Kissing him wasn't scary or strange. She rather enjoyed the rough feeling of his lips and the way his hands felt in her hair.

She pulled away and relished in the stunned but happy look on Hancock's face.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said inhaling deeply, "keep an eye out."

Hancock's body danced dangerously close to Nora's. She was unsure if she could pull away from him. She bit her lip to keep herself from kissing him again.

"Tomorrow." She said again.

"Count on it." Hancock said.

Nora stepped away she took a couple steps down the hallway before she looked back at him, he was staring at her, either high on chems or her kiss. But the way he looked at her made her smile, with that smile, she bid him goodnight one more time. She turned, and left.


	2. Artistic Impulse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nora fills her time with doing a job, but with her focus distorted, she easily lets her guard down, and Hancock doesn't know what to think.

The way that Nora had left Hancock was somewhere between speechless and aroused. He had felt rejected by her, and then to his surprise she took his breath away, quite literally. He had been turned down a few times on account of his looks, but he was still charming enough to wrap a pretty babe like her around his finger and make her come home with him.

Nora, was making him wait for her?

He liked the idea of what tomorrow could possibly bring, and though he wouldn't admit it, he liked that she didn't let him off to easily.

Easy girls was what he was used to.

The rock that was now weighing down his pants could easily be taken care of if he fixed himself up with one of those easy gals back at the bar. Yet, Hancock did not let himself indulge in any of the female patrons found at the Third Rail that night. He left the bar quietly, stealing away time for two cigarettes and a short walk through the Neighborhood. Nora was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He half convinced himself that she hadn't meant to kiss him at all. But whatever that kiss was… he enjoyed reliving it over and over. He found that if he dwelled on fantasies for too long his pants would start to strain again. So finally, he retired for the night, taking in a hit of jet befored and thinking about Nora and drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Nora found her way to her usual room at the Rexford, happily climbing into bed her mind still reeling about their kiss. Before she knew it she had fallen asleep. She awoke just as dawn was beginning to creep into her window.

She figured some time out in the streets would do her some good. A little fresh air, a little bit of work could put her head in the right place. Nora felt that perhaps the liquor and drugs were making her a little soft, perhaps too comfortable, and she needed to remind herself of what there was to unwind from. The way that Nora had felt the last couple of days scared her. She hadn't understood feeling carefree since before the war. But now she had felt a small amount of enjoyment from a world she had come to despise. And she felt that part of the butterflies in her stomach were largely due to Mayor Hancock and his charismatic personality. He was trouble, yet so much fun.

She liked the way the Third Rail could remind her of an old dive bar in college. One where she drank the night away with friends, and eventually met the man she would marry. It seemed she had weak knees for the charismatic man. But that scared her all the more. Losing her husband was something that would forever be burned into her memory. It didn't help that Nora knew that her husband and all her neighbors' faces would stick around to haunt her while still frozen in place in those cryo-chambers.

Nora had dressed in armor and made her way to the gates of Goodnighbor.

With her Gauss Rifle slung over her shoulder, she told herself to 'look alive.' Her short walk began to remind her of Vault 111. Nora let herself feel pitiful again as she walked down the ruined streets of Boston. She had not crossed the bridge that took her to Vault 111 ever since she found herself stumbling out of it. But here she was walking all over the graves of those who lived here. Boston was home to others and every time she found a skeleton she couldn't help but wonder if she had anything in common with the bones of someone that once was.

Vault 111 existed all around her, and she didn't want to accept that reality.

* * *

 

Nora found a couple grenades on the body of a Raider who had been dead for days. She could smell the Harbor nearby, and knew the bridge was up ahead. Like Hancock had said, it was eerily quiet, and Nora found it strange. Raiders were always in groups, and it seemed like the Raider that Nora had found certainly had friends. Except she could see that their bodies, once lying in the middle of the street, had been drug for several yards. Nora followed the heavy trail of blood and it lead her to the front door of the Pickman Gallery.

Not being dumb enough to walk in the front door, Nora tried her best to peer in through one of the nearby windows. It didn't look much different from most abandoned buildings, except she could tell that there were many paintings still on the walls. Their frames weren't broken, and their images hadn't rotted away.

Nora inhaled deeply before she turned the knob of the front door to the gallery. It seemed like no one was home, but still, she was ever so careful not to make a sound.

Quietly, she shut the door behind her, and began looking for tripwire or other booby traps. But instead her eye was immediately drawn to the wall, and draped across it were several paintings of various figures… eyes… demons. The garish yellow paint mixed with what must've been black charcoal. And the red, the red was blood.

"My god…" escaped Nora's lips.

She felt something brush against her arm.

And there they were, the Raiders. Their heads were severed and mounted on spikes, creating a circle around the room. Nora's hands clasped over her mouth, causing her gun sling to slip off her shoulder. Her Rifle made a very, _very_ , loud sound as it hit the ground.

Nora threw herself against the nearest wall ready to head for cover, her shoulder grazed one of the hung paintings, causing it to swing forward from the wall, behind it revealed a safe.

"So here to rob me, 'eh?" said a man dressed in fine clothing.

Nora quickly turned around and looked at who she could only believe to be Pickman. She looked down at her rifle, and then back at him. She quickly dropped her body and reached out for her gun, hoping she could manage enough distance between the two of them to use it. Nora's hand curled around the fabric of the sling, but as the gun was coming towards her, she knew it was too late – Pickman had revealed that he carried a baseball bat. Nora heard more so than felt, the loud crack that echoed through her head. Pickman had knocked her out clean. Her vision tunneled, and then went black.

* * *

Hancock had woken up late that morning. The jet kept him asleep like a baby, and even though he was sure he wouldn't see Nora till tonight, he figured he should clean up and wander around town anyway, just to make sure he was on his game, ready for whatever she could possible need from him. He dusted off his coat, finding cigarette ash had made its way into the fine stitching of his stolen coat. He strapped on his boots and took his morning dose of Mentats.

Goodneighbor was a place he was proud to hang his hat on. He was particularly proud on the amount of Ghouls that found their home here. He only wished that the number were still larger. He visited Daisy, having a conversation about the number of chems that came through her shop. And even had the inclination to ask her about Nora.

"How you feel about that new girl around here? The vault girl." Hancock asked.

"Seems to me that she ain't lying about her pre-war stories." Said Daisy. "I can only imagine how hard it must be. Kent and I have had years to work past the old days. You know… leaving them in the past. But I can't imagine what it must be like to be doing what we did years ago now. This world is so far gone. If you ask me, she's coping well. Buys a lot of ammo from me and Kleo. That's the kind of customer we like."

"So you think she must be a good fighter?" Hancock asked leaning over the counter.

"Now Mayor, I'm not here to give you details about some new squeeze. She's a pretty one though, she's fresh outa the old world and that shows on her face." Said Daisy. "Be nice to that one."

"Oh believe me Daisy, I can't wait to be nice to her." Hancock said with a wink before leaving her shop and heading back into the old State house. Fahrenheit was pacing when he came up the stairs.

"You're up early." She said. "Fancy a game of chess?"

"Nah. I'm just stopping in for some chems before I go visit the Rail." Said Hancock.

"You still looking for that blue-eyed girl? The one from the other night?" F. asked.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I might just take her home tonight. If all goes well." Hancock said.

"You are one hopeful motherfucker." Fahrenheit said.

"Hey, I'm more than hopeful alright. I think she's sweet on me. I make girls melt, all of them. Even if they can't look at me." Hancock said with a grin.

"You're twisted." Fahrenheit said.

"That's why you like working for me." Hancock said.

Hancock took a Med-X syringe that Fahrenheit tossed him, injecting the serum into his veins he felt clear and alive. Tonight was his breath of fresh air; he was going to sweep this girl off her feet, because he wanted to, he needed to. He had missed making eyes at a girl so perfect.

_(Later on that night.)_

The unfortunate thing was that Hancock had spent his night talking to White Chapel Charlie, and trying to convince Fahrenheit that he wasn't going home alone. Whether his vault girl showed up or not. However after midnight, he realized that Nora wasn't coming. The expression his face would have showed, if it wasn't so scarred, would've been one of utter disappointment. He had figured someone like her, especially so new to this world, would assume that Ghouls would be viewed as just another Commonwealth monster. Though he was hurt, he could hide it well.

Fahrenheit was drunk and not longer giving him shit about Nora. He quickly picked up the nearest drifter girl at the bar. A girl with milky skin and dark hair, just like Nora. Her hair was puled back, but Hancock knew with the right concoction of chems, he could make this girl anyone he wanted her to be.

The rest of his night was spent at the Old State House on a soft couch, this girl got high enough that she didn't care about his Ghoulish skin, she let him take off all his clothes and fuck her like he needed to.

* * *

Hancock awoke the next day with a warm body on top of his arm. Thinking back to last night, he remembered Nora. He looked to his right and saw a girl with brown hair and freckled skin. At the Third Rail and the Old State House her skin had been much paler, and her hair darker. Now with the sun shining he could see the little lie he had told himself. Hancock let a small frown cross his face as he remembered that Nora had never showed up that day. She had up and left, likely hoping she would never have to see him again. Sure, Hancock had met many girls that were repulsed by the way he looked, but they usually didn't lead him on like Nora had done.

Hancock had never let himself be toyed with. There was the occasional instance where he was high out of his mind and his flavor of the week would clean out his coat taking all his chems and caps. But that was foolish behavior to be laughed at. Never had a woman kissed him so heatedly, left him breathless, and then disappeared.

" _But there was a first for everything."_ Hancock told himself.

Hancock escaped his bed hoping that when he came back the nameless girl would be gone and he could actually relax. He stepped out of the Old State House and found his quiet town busy as ever with a couple new traders bothering Daisy. The traders usually carried chems and would increase the price when they arrived at Goodneighbor, knowing a town full of junkies was sure to buy them. Little did they know Hancock bought larger shipments at a discounted price and would leave them to Daisy to sell at the same markup value, making both him and Daisy a little extra cash.

He spent his day doing Mayoral duties to the town of Goodneighbor, nothing out of the ordinary, and later ended his night at the Third Rail. Though all day he had hoped he would somehow forget that kiss.

He didn't.

He was fairly certain that kiss wasn't ever going to go away no matter how many chems he took. A small part of him was okay with that, and the other part told him to move on.

In all his years he had met many girls. Ones he liked or admired, but he liked the way their faces would fade away after a couple uses of chems. It was strange to him that the way Nora's face looked, how her lips felt, how she had tasted seemed to have etched it's way into his memory, and actually becoming amplified when using chems. The rest of his night he tried to distract himself with talking to Fahrenheit about nearby Raiders, plans for the Goodneighbor warehouses, and gossiping about Bobbi No Nose and her next big attempt at foolish thievery.

Though he was distracted he was still aware of a part of him that would look at every girl that came to the Rail that night. Sure, he told himself he was checking out the prospects, the one with the nice tits, the nice ass… but really he was just looking for Nora.

* * *

Nora's blurred vision began to clear around what seemed to be the walls of a cellar. She could smell flames, and flesh, both of which nauseated her and aggravated the throbbing in her head. Nora managed to focus on a pile of bodies in the middle of the room, some of them missing limbs, others filleted from head to toe. She found her hands to be bound behind her back with rough rope.

"You're not a Raider, are you?" asked Pickman.

Nora looked to her left and found Pickman sitting on a concrete slab still holding his baseball bat.

"No. No I'm not." She said. Her own voice aggravated the pain in her head.

"When I removed your armor I was about to cut off your arm until I noticed the Vault suit underneath. Sort of a give away…" Pickman said.

Nora realized she was just wearing her blue suit and boots. The comfort of armor had been stripped from her, as well as any weapons she once possessed.

"You… you mangled all those corpses upstairs." She said.

"Mangled, more like displayed. There isn't much for the way of art these days. And if you ask me I'm perfectly on trend with all the violence in the world. I'm just a painter, no different than the rest." He said. "Sorry for this, I thought you were just going to be another addition to my collection, but my work only requires Raider scum, and I couldn't bare to use you for… supplies." Pickman told her.

"Then why am I still here?" Nora asked.

"Well, you were out quite a while, and it was during that time that I became amused by your beauty. Your face is unscarred, almost like the pre-war posters. You've inspired me to create an art movement! You shall be my muse." Pickman told her. 

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that." Nora said. "It seems your previous muses were eviscerated."

"Look, don't try anything stupid, I'm an artist, not a monster." Pickman was placing a new makeshift canvas against a pillar in what must be his studio. The canvas was some white cloth that had been stretched across a few wooden bars. Nora was unsure of what was to come next and was eager to find her way out of this predicament, Hancock was going to owe her a more than just a few caps.

She twisted her hands, finding the knot to be tight. She watched as Pickman took a paintbrush and dipped it right into the open chest cavity of a Raider, coating it with thick red blood. Pickman began to splash blood all over the canvas, looking quite happy as he did.

"No, no," he said, "stop wriggling, you should be still."

Nora protested at his request by trying to get to her feet, but she found her legs to be like jelly. She was on her knees when Pickman walked over to her and kicked her back down with the heel of his boot.

"Now look, I'd much rather you be conscious for this. The emotion, the energy, that's what I want to paint." Pickman said. "It's a lot easier if you just sit down."

Nora spit in his face. Long ago when she first woke up in Vault 111 she was a timid mother, scared and alone in the world. But as time went on she had become fierce, and after losing her family she no longer feared her foes, in fact they were what made her feel alive.

Pickman used his fist to tell her how wrong that move was on her part. "This is all just part of the process." Pickman told her. He gathered her long black hair in his fists. Pickman managed to tie an unruly knot with her black locks and slip them onto some rebar that was sticking out of the floor. Now she could only move her head several inches off the ground before her hair would catch.

"There." He said. "Now you can wriggle about all you'd like. In fact I'd prefer it. It will help me catch the agony of a drifter."

Nora kept working on freeing her hands behind her back, she tried to find something, anything that might help her. While Nora twisted her palms back and forth Pickman only continued to paint, he seemed to be drawing with burnt pieces of charcoal, even smearing some on his nice suit.

Nora imagined the ropes loosening. If her palms were sweaty, maybe she could slip out. If she managed to get them free she could reach into her boot and free her switchblade, which she could still feel pressing against her skin. She heard gravel crunching underneath Pickman's feet. Nora watched as he fiddled, he looked angry, "No No!" he said.

He picked up an enamel bucket and walked over to Nora. She watched in horror and he poured fresh blood all over her, when the bucket was empty he gave it a few good shakes to make sure it was void of all contents.

Nora had been covered in blood many times, but this act was so repulsive to her, she could only react in horror. She began to gag while she clenched her eyes and mouth shut.

"Now that is perfect." Pickman said. "You are art!"

Nora's attempt at freeing her hands became all the more urgent. Pickman returned to his canvas with a bright smile on his face. Nora continued to struggle, and after what seemed like forever, Nora heard her chance. The sound of a lantern clanking down the stairs seemed to echo.

Both Pickman and Nora heard it.

Pickman turned around to pick up Nora's pistol and began to head toward the doorway. Without his eyes on her she managed to slip her arms underneath her legs and get her switchblade. She opened the knife and awkwardly sawed at the rope around her wrists, cautiously watching Pickman as he was now distracted. No noise came and Nora quickly tucked her hands back behind her back as Pickman turned back around.

"Seemed to be –" Pickman's sentence was stopped short by the sound of gunfire. One, Two, Three bullets whizzed over his head. He ducked for cover, hearing the large number of Raiders that had come for him.

Nora tried to get up and make for her weapons. She could see were stashed on the other side of Pickman's studio, but he hair was still caught. Her fingers fumbled and managed to make and even messier knot, so with a sharp breath she took her knife and quickly cut herself free.

Pickman was trying to make a stand against the Raiders, and Nora felt a slight smirk cross her face as she watched Pickman take his first bullet. She managed to take cover behind a larger pile of rubble while she tried to stretch her arm out to her rifle. Her Gauss Rifle was obscenely large, and though many had laughed at her small frame carrying such a weapon, she was happy to find it so easy to reach. She checked the chamber, opening the large compartment at the top. Half empty. But that wasn't going to stop her.

Nora peaked over the pile of rubble at watched two Raiders peer out from the side of the door way, both their heads in plain shot. She pulled back the trigger to her gun and watched as it came alive, charging, hitting it's max she let it go and watched the bolt fly towards the Raiders. One went down, the other now hiding. Pickman looked back at Nora seeing that she had broken free. His muse was everything he had hoped, if he made it out alive he wanted to paint her just like this, as he saw her now.

Nora's eye caught a Jet inhaler that must've fallen out of her bag, she grabbed it while the Raiders were stunned and inhaled the sweet hazy fume. Nora's new reflexes picked off Raider's one by one as they entered the doorway or opted to run past it. When silence fell, she made her move. She picked up her wobbly legs and willed them to take big steps, to act quickly.

She managed to make it to the wall adjacent to the door. The Raiders that were brave enough to peer in were killed, their heads becoming mush on the floor. Pickman was next to her, holding her 10mm. With Pickman covering her, she turned and faced the doorway, ready for any Raiders… but none came. She relaxed for a moment, hearing nothing.

Then it he came at her, from out of the shadows came a Raider charging her with a machete. She didn't have time to raise her long-range rifle, she knew this had to be Pickman's kill, but his shot never came. The Raider tackled Nora to the ground; he had raised his arm and brought down the machete with one swing. Nora's arm only stopping it just at it reached her soft flesh. She could feel the sharp blade pressing down on her face; from her eye socket to her check she could feel the blade inside her carving more and more flesh unless she stopped him.

His mistake was lifting his blade for another strike. Nora managed to stun him by hitting his throat, and she threw him off her, grabbing a nearby pipe pistol she shot the Raider four times in the head until the clip was spent.

Nora stood up, looking at the carnage, only expecting more to come. Pickman interrupted her heavy breathing, "Wow. Thanks, I mean I really owe you." Pickman said. "That was the most brilliant display of art I've ever seen, I couldn't help but watch the way you fought him, with such passion! Such flame!"

Nora looked down at herself, still soaked in blood, hair clinging to the moisture, her head was pounding and her legs were still weak.

Nora looked Pickman up and down seeing how he freely the 10mm to her, Nora took it from his hands and felt the weight of bullets still sitting in the magazine.

_The bullets he had chosen not to use._

Without much contemplation she shot Pickman between the eyes. He first fell to his knees, then his chest fell forward settling into the dirt.

The coating of blood that had soaked through her Vault suit had been the deciding factor in his death, perhaps if they had met under different circumstances her choice would have been different. Nora checked his pockets pulling out a safe key. She pocketed it and managed to recover her things, her PipBoy feeling at home on her wrist again.

A nearby ladder took her back to the Commonwealth. The night sky was dark and full of stars. She ducked down by and old vehicle and for the first time injected herself with Psycho. The needle made her cringe but the adrenaline it gave her made her legs regain their strength and the pain in her head subside. She felt like she could run back to Goodneighbor, with her loot no longer feeling heavy on her back.

She felt a warm trickle of blood crawl down her neck and blood began to blur her vision in her left eye. The Psycho had made her blood run thin and her new wound was acting up. She used the light from her PipBoy to illuminate a nearby reflective surface. The amount of blood she saw startled her. Then she remembered it wasn't all hers. She could see the cut crossed her eyebrow and to the top of her cheek, her eye socket doing the work to keep it from actually puncturing her eye and rendering her blind.

She took a stimpak, her last of many, and injected small portions of the serum at the site of injury. Hoping to conserve what little she had incase her trip back to Goodneighbor wasn't so easy. She then took out a shirt she liked to wear and a carton of clean water, she then tried to scrub off as much blood from her face as she could. She was going to pay the Rexford a hundred caps for a semi warm bath as soon as she returned.

Nora looked at her PipBoy and noticed the date. She had been gone two days now, but she had no idea how that was possible until she remembered the jelly feeling in her legs… _"Well, you were out quite a while…"_

Pickman had drugged her. God knows how long she was stuck on the floor of that awful gallery. Pickman could have painted several paintings of her before she had even woken up. Nora reminded herself that when she returned to the gallery to find that safe, she would confiscate and burn any painting that remotely seemed to involve her.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for anyone who reads this, I'll be posting several chapters within a short span of time, because they've already been published, and that's just not fair to new readers. ;) So, pace yourselves!


	3. A Fighting Companion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nora and Hancock take up the opportunity to fight with one another, giving Hancock the idea that Nora would be perfect for a very personal job.

Nora's return to Goodneighbor was a luckily under the cover of darkness. The few residents that did see her looked at her in utter shock. Nora was sure they were slightly apprehensive to the sight of some drifter walking around covered in dried blood with hair that looked crazy and a large rifle at her side.

Nora hoped that this wasn't entirely shocking to the residents of Goodneighbor.

Nora decided the smart thing to do would be to buy a few more stimpaks before she headed to the Rexford. Daisy was still open for business. Even Daisy looked at Nora with a questionable glance.

"Look, I've got a gun and I don't want-" Daisy began, "Oh. It's you." Daisy looked Nora up and down. "I'd say you had a shitty night."

"That would be an understatement." Nora said with a sigh. "You got any stimpaks?"

"Yeah I've got a few right here darlin. Maybe you should take some of this too." Daisy handed her a carton of clean water and some Mutfruit. Nora pulled out her drawstring bag to grab her caps. But Daisy waved her hand, "I'm just gonna assumed you earned these." Daisy told her. "They're on me tonight."

"Thanks Daisy. I owe you one." Nora said. She was finally defeated now that she had made it back to Goodneighbor safely. Her stride was sluggish, and her feet were tired. But the most welcome sight was a dirty bed at the Rexford. She sat down and removed her boots, then her armor that weighed heavily on her shoulders.

She slipped out of her vault suit. The suit she laid out on the bed to view how covered in blood it had become. Next came her face and hair. Nora used an enamel bucket as a washbasin, using an old shirt, she soaked cloth while adding a little soap. She began to remove the blood caked into her hair, and after some time Nora became happy with the soap being a light shade of pink, rather than the bright red she had begun with.

Nora was tired, and her current state of cleanliness would have to do. She took one last glance in the mirror on the wall and finally saw the person she had become. Scarred, and mangy she was a regular Commonwealth girl. Her hair was jaggedly cut falling some where between her clavicle and her shoulders, both sides uneven. She sat on the edge of the bed and injected herself with a second stimpak. She then placed a clean wet cloth across her wound. She shortly fell into a dreamless sleep, with her last thoughts lingering on her pre-war life.

* * *

When Nora awoke the day had already passed. Evening light was all she could see from her window. Her body was working a large portion of drugs out of her system, both from her recreational usage, as well as her recent medical needs. In fact, she thought a little med-x would help take the edge off from the pain she currently felt.

She injected the Med-X syringe into her arm. It was becoming easier and easier to use chems, Nora couldn't believe she had waited this long to let herself use them. Chems had made her feel better, relax, and they were slightly responsible for her being sweet on Goodneighbor's Mayor. She would never have kissed someone so rashly if it hadn't been for that sweet lull of the chem. Nora knew that there were a few more feelings involved than just a little liquor and chems, but those kinds of feelings were buried deep down where Nora didn't have to see them.

She realized this would make the third day since she had promised Hancock she would meet him. Hancock probably thought she had left. Nora hadn't told anyone where she was going and she had left early. Though he would certainly understand, she had after all only been looking in on a job he had offered. Nora mostly wondered if that kiss still mattered to him, or if it had been forgotten over a few days of partying like his usually self. Nora figured it wasn't too late to find out.

Nora dressed in her casual clothes, her shirt was white, and so it had collected blood and dirt over the course of time. But with the jacket she was likely presentable. Nora looked in the mirror and peeled away the bandage she had applied last night. It had healed over and clung to the cloth causing it to bleed again. She injected herself with her last stimpak and waited for the bleeding to subside. Her hair could've been worse, after going to bed with wet hair she woke up to wavy locks that hid her uneven length of hair. Nora had somehow managed to pull off presentable, not that anyone in Goodneighbor would've cared, but for some reason Nora still did.

She wandered outside and cross the street to find herself at the Old State House. She went inside and got an odd glance from one of the security guards.

"Need something sweetheart?" he asked.

"The Mayor here?" she asked.

"He's upstairs. You outta' check with Fahrenheit first. He came in with a dame not too long ago, he's probably not available."

"Thanks for the heads up." Nora said. Her feet stumbled as she walked up the stairs; suddenly she felt this overwhelming feeling of loss, this sense of fear. She didn't want to be anywhere in this building.

Fahrenheit was sitting on a couch a table in front of her was littered with chems. Fahrenheit looked at her, and seemed surprised.

"Haven't seen you for a while." Fahrenheit said.

"Been a little tied up. Hancock around?" Nora asked.

"He's a bit indisposed at the moment. You can come-"

"-Just tell him I found something at Pickman's he might want. And he can pay me later." Nora said. Her nerves had grown since she had walked up those stairs and was looking for a reason to exit. She didn't want to see him, especially if he was with another woman.

"Sure thing." Fahrenheit said. Nora turned away and headed back down the stairs, this time not missing the obvious giggling coming from the room opposite. And there was an unmistakable rocking of a bed frame. Hancock was very indisposed indeed.

Nora stepped back out onto the Goodneighbor streets. She knew her body wanted to rest, but she lit up a cigarette and sucked down the smoke like it was a cure. She couldn't bear to be stagnant. Nora found herself in the Third Rail trying to remember the fun she had before. She purchased drink after drink, making Whitechapel Charlie very happy.

* * *

Hancock stumbled out of his bedroom popping another Mentat he found in his coat pocket. He was wearing pants and his red coat, but he had left it undone, showcasing his scarred chest. Hancock took a seat next to Fahrenheit and made himself comfortable in his old couch.

"Someone seems tired." Fahrenheit said.

"Been on a bender for a couple days now. Here's to the common cause!" said Hancock lifting a shot of vodka from the table and tossing it back. "Man I think I need a change of pace." He added.

"Why? Have you slept with every girl in town now?" Fahrenheit asked.

"Very funny. I wish." Hancock said.

"Including that smooth skin girl from the vault?" Fahrenheit asked.

"Of course including her. But she's long gone, scared off by this ugly mug." Hancock said.

"Really? That's funny, because she was just here." Fahrenheit said. "Looking for you." Fahrenheit knew that Nora had been the one to elude Hancock, and that his bender had been meant to compensate. 

Hancock took a moment to think. Was his bodyguard lying to him? Pulling his leg?

"Said she got something from Pickmans that you might want." Fahrenheit said.

Nope. This wasn't a lie. Hancock had even forgotten he told her about Pickman's. Of course she had left to do a job, and here he was fretting over this girl when she was doing what he had asked.

"And whatever deal you made with her for caps, you should give that girl a bonus. She got all fucked up in the face." Fahrenheit said.

"The gallery? Did she say what was there?" Hancock asked.

"No, and I wasn't about to ask how she got all ugly. Plus she didn't stay too long with you making that racket across the hall." Fahrenheit said. "She says you can find her later."

Hancock buttoned his coat and realized his face carried a large scowl. He told the girl in his bed she needed to be gone when he got back, and then he walked out of the Old State House. Hancock first went to talk to Daisy, to see if she had any idea where his girl could be. Hancock had been a little heavy handed on the chems the last couple of days. And now he could feel the spins hit him coupled with this new information. Perhaps he had ruined his chance with her, who was he kidding?

_He probably never had much of a chance._

Standing outside Daisy's shop Hancock was stopped by a Goodneighbor watch member.

"Mayor, I think you should – "

"-Not right now. I'm busy." Hancock answered. Hancock turned to Daisy, "Daisy, my sweet flower."

Daisy leaned over the counter and smirked at Hancock's hesitation to ask what she already knew he would ask. Ever since the other day when Hancock was poking around asking about that pre-war girl, she knew he had some sort of soft spot for her. Didn't quite think the Mayor was capable of getting fixated on some girl. Being with girls was something he liked, sure, but keeping them around? Checking up on them? Looking into their past? These were things Hancock was doing, and Daisy had never seen him do that.

"You know your girl was here the other night. Came in well after dark." Daisy said.

Hancock was a little unsettled by Daisy's ability to just answer the question without really being asked anything.

"In fact it was really late, that poor thing walked in here looking like a mutant had eaten her, and spit her back out again. She was covered in blood; but I'm pretty certain it wasn't all hers. Poor thing could hardly walk so I gave her a couple stimpaks, figured you'd be the one to reimburse me for those." Daisy said holding out the palm of her hand. Hancock nodded and gave her a couple caps.

"Do you-"  Hancock began.

"No I don't know where she is." Daisy said.

"I do!" said the watchman.

Hancock looked back at the security he had hired. He had never learned their names, he always forgot them.

"The vault girl, yeah, from up north?" Hancock said.

"Pretty sure that's her. She looks a little different now than the other day when she was with you at the Rail."

"And you know where she is?" Hancock asked.

"Yeah, you see sir I think you just better come over to the Third Rail real quick." the watchman said and began to walk towards the Third Rail. "You see those guys that come in every so often to talk to MacCready? Well they were paying their usual visit and this time things got outta' hand."

"Did someone shoot them, did they shoot someone else?" Hancock asked beginning down the stairs to the Third Rail.

"Well… not exactly." Don said.

When Hancock reached the bottom step he quickly found a gun in his face. Held there by another henchmen. Several usual Third Rail Patrons had their guns pulled aiming them across the room at the unwelcome men. One of these guys had MacCready on his knees with a pistol pointed at the back of his neck. Then right in the center of the room Nora was holding a shotgun with her left hand. She was pointing it at a man who was holding a grenade; he threatened to drop in right there in the center of the room if they didn't put down their weapons.

"Well if it ain't Daddy Mayor!" said a henchman.

"Glad you could join us!" said another. "Can't wait to finally kill you!"

Nora spoke next, "No one has to kill anybody."

"Well we have to kill MacCready, but you seem to be the one keeping us from doing that."

"This isn't your town, you can't just kill whoever you want in the middle of a bar. You're guests of Goodneighbor, and you are overstepping your boundaries." Nora said.

Hancock had his hands up showing that he held no weapon. He watched as Nora did his favorite kind of work; take out the big guy, and protect the little guy.

And when Nora spoke like a true citizen of Goodneighbor he felt himself get hard just at her choice of words. He was glad his long coat would hide whatever was down there, because he had no idea how Nora had this kinds of effect on him. The drugs and adrenaline were pumping through his body and all he could think about was kissing her and peeling off pieces of her clothing. Preferably while she held that shotgun, which was _unbelievably_ sexy.

"Why don't we just take this out into the streets? We can settle this without getting all these people hurt." Nora said.

"That's a real good idea fellas. You certainly don't want to be on the end of this girls shotgun, especially in a small place such as this." Hancock added.

Hancock watched Nora's right hand drop behind her backside while the men turned to look at him.

"Yeah? You coming Mayor? Cause I sure would like a chance to shoot you right where your fucking nose should be." Said the man holding the grenade.

"I'll let you fucking try. But don't cry when my fucking buck shot tears you in half." Hancock said. "And while you're at it, why don't you just swallow that fucking grenade, it'll save me the trouble of shoving it down your god damn throat."

Hancock was doing the best he could at distracting them, but he just hoped Nora had some plan for that fucking grenade. Nora was a brilliant fighter, and Hancock had the privilege of watching a pistol appear in her right hand. And when she lined up her shot, there was no missing. The man who held MacCready hostage now had a bullet between his eyes. Hancock pulled out his gun and spent shell after shell on these dirtbags. Hancock realized that Nora and the other bar patrons where firing at their unwelcome guests, but no one had the guts to shoot the man still holding the grenade.

Once all the men had been killed, there still stood the one man clutching his grenade. His palm was shaking and sweaty. Nora stepped over the bodies at her feet and dropped her weapons as she approached him. She wrapped her fist around the man's hand, slowly extracting the grenade from his grip. And once Nora held that frag, she took a switchblade from out her pocket and stabbed the man twice in the belly.

Nora looked at Hancock, contemplating Hancock's threat to make the man eat his own grenade. But instead, Nora took the less messy route. She picked up off the floor the silver grenade pin, and slipped it back into place.

With a deep breath she opened her palm flat, letting the grenade roll in her hand for a moment. A breath of relief escaped her lips when it didn't go off. Hancock realized only Nora and he still stood in the middle of the room, everyone had taken cover behind the bar or Magnolia's stage while Nora had put the pin back. Hancock only stood a few feet away from her, and he could feel his heart racing for reasons other than just the grenade in her hand.

They locked eyes, both feeling their hearts race.

Then Hancock told her, "You're my kinda trouble."

* * *

Nora was offered a free drink from Charlie, but she refused.

"You gotta let me repay you somehow!" Hancock said.

They were standing in the middle of the Third Rail, an hour into clean up. Nora had insisted on helping, and Hancock had told her repeatedly to leave.

While Hancock was addressing several people on what to do with the recently acquired bodies Nora had snuck upstairs. Finally deciding that she was in fact tired. Her muscles ached, her body still tense. Outside she breathed in fresh air, and dampened it with a cigarette. Her heart was still racing. The cigarette only accelerating it, being there with Hancock, that grenade in her hand… _She had felt so alive._

"You got an extra one of those?" Hancock asked her sitting down on the bench beside her.

"For you? Sure." She said handing him the pack of cigarettes. Hancock took one out of the pack and set them back down between them. Then he gingerly took the cigarette from Nora's lips and used it to light his own before handing it back to her. It was dark and Hancock was having trouble seeing the wound that now stretched across part of her face.

"So how bad is that, there?" he asked her.

"Well I didn't go blind." She said, "But it's not pretty."

"What else did you get at that gallery?" Hancock asked her. "Fahrenheit said you had something, something good?"

Nora reached in her pocket and pulled out Pickman's safe key and held it forward, offering it to Hancock. He took the key enjoying the small touch between their fingers.

"This should be your spoil, not mine." Hancock said, trying to return the key to her.

"You can keep it, I'm not sure I want to go back there, not anytime soon." Nora said.

"What'd you find?" Hancock asked. He watched her take another drag and toy the smoke with her tongue.

"Well, Pickman is certainly a contemporary artist. He was kidnapping raiders, torturing them, using them as spectacles in his artwork, in both installation pieces and paintings."

"And that's how you got that?" Hancock asked once again staring at the now forming scar on her face.

"Pickman left me a little unprepared. He drugged me with something, I have no idea what… I was out for hours." Nora said trying to remember anything after he had hit her in the head. "When I woke up all my things were gone, and with no weapons I had to improvise when raiders attacked. They were hell bent on killing Pickman, but luckily I was able to kill most of them, just before one of them gave me this." Nora touched her face remembering how the blade had dug into her skin.

"So you ended up helping him? Even though he drugged you?" Hancock asked her.

"Oh no, I saved him for last. Took that key off his corpse." She said. "Then I left before more showed up. I'm sure now that Pickman is dead more Raiders will come and take back the area."

"Sounds like Pickman wasn't so bad." Hancock said. Nora spine tingled at his comment, and not in a good way. She had no idea what happened to her on that floor, and no idea what end Pickman had planned for her.

"Well if it weren't for him, I'd still be pretty." She said. Nora flicked her cigarette and turned towards Hancock.

"Oh sister, you're beautiful. Prettiest little thing to ever hail Goodneighbor. And don't tell Magnolia I said that." Hancock teased.

Nora smiled. She had very little to smile about these days and Hancock always seemed to find a way to make her do it.

"That smile is the perfect touch." He said. "Now, you have to let me do something for you."

"It's not-" Nora began.

"No. No. I've got just the thing, it'll be a gift, from me to you, and it doesn't include the caps I owe ya' from scouting out the gallery." Hancock said. He was trying to get her to smile. He knew he had embarrassed himself by what Fahrenheit had told him. Nora had probably heard him with that floozy girl.

In his defense, all he could think about was that moment they had kissed. He wanted to feel that again, that feeling of the way she needed his lips, his body against hers. It was unlike anything he had felt with a woman, at least not since he was a Ghoul. But Nora seemed distant, and uninterested in being close to him.

He reached out for the carton of cigarettes to help himself to another; briefly their hands touched and Hancock felt something liven within him. _What was she doing to him?_

After he took one, she took the cigarettes from him and lit another. Nora noticed how close Hancock seemed to her now. She let herself feel that comforting warmth of another person. Nora had missed being called beautiful and being charmed. But Nora told herself that's all this was. _Charm._ Just doting antics that made someone feel love, but of course it couldn't possible.

All she could hear was the way his bed had sounded when it smacked against the walls of the Old State House.

"You're still so beautiful." He said, now seeing the mark across her face in the faint red glow of the neon sign.

Nora could hear Magnolia's words in her head, _"…I want a man who can stand on his own without looking for another lover every night..."_

Hancock boldly touched her face; his thumb ran itself over the wound, feeling its hard healing skin. His hand feathered its way across her cheek and stopped briefly on her bottom lip. She looked into his black eyes, somehow they showed this emotion of need and want – and that drove her crazy. Nora stood from the bench, tossing her cigarette aside once more. She was getting lost in those black pools of his. She needed to check out.

"I should be getting back, these last few days have taken a toll on me." She said.

"Hey, wait," Hancock said, "How about a little pick me up." He handed her a Jet inhaler and gave her a wink. "Let me walk you back." He said. Hoping for a few more moments with her. After a few steps he spoke, "Let me ask you, what was goin' through your crazy head just now? Did you have a plan? What if he had dropped that frag?"

"I don't know, I was just acting the best way I could. I suppose I would've thought of something. Jumped on it I suppose. Or kicked it into the VIP room and prayed the tunnel didn't collapse on us." Nora said.

They were now at the entrance of the Rexford.

"I'm glad that didn't happen, I have fond memories in that VIP room." Hancock said.

"I'm sure you have many." Nora said slyly raising her eyebrow. 

Hancock did admire her natural ability to be blunt. Even though their brief encounter in that room had plagued his thoughts, he _had_ been with a few girls back there. Nora leaned against the outside wall and lifted the inhaler to her lips. He watched at Nora tipped her head back and sucked in the contents of his jet inhaler. When she exhaled the slow billowing smoke was drifted around him in such a sexual way he didn't know how she could even tease him with something as simple as smoke.

"I am referring to you, you know, in that back room." Hancock told her.

Nora let her jet settle before replying.

"I know you were." She said with a smile playing across her lips. Her fingers wrapped around the collar of his red coat, she felt Hancock stand closer to her, he leaned in. But Nora had no intention of kissing him. She fixed the uneven fold so that it fell nicely across his shoulders, then with light fingers she dusted his jacket. "There." She said. "Can't leave you with a fool's collar." She said.

 _'Damn…Leave me?'_ He thought. Then Nora stepped to the side, sliding out of his charismatic magnetism and took another step towards the door.

"Sorry Mr. Mayor, it's been a long night. I'll come collect those caps tomorrow."

And just like that, she had left him again, wanting even more than before and she hadn't even kissed him. This girl was his kind of crazy, and that drove him mad.

* * *

When Nora awoke she saw that the sun was high and the day was warm. It seemed her stimpaks had don't their job of settling her addled bones, and then she asked herself, _"What am I to do?"_

Her settlements were the last place she wanted to be. But she felt like moving on, this relationship she had developed with Goodneighbor's Mayor made her uneasy. She had let herself drink and use chems, putting her in a very venerable position, and now… she was afraid of whatever feelings she had awoken. She hadn't kissed someone since her late husband. And the thought of kissing Hancock kept creeping back into her head, yet she convinced herself he was just looking for this week's flavor. Finding something like what she had with her husband had become impossible now. Even if she ever dared love someone the fear from losing them would cripple her.

Nora figured she'd collect her caps and tell him that she was flattered, but it was time she moved on from this place, and that she was sorry for kissing him so abruptly. Nora lay in her bed for another hour thinking about how that conversation could possibly go. It gave her the feeling of butterflies and chills all at once.

There came a knock at her door. Nora found Clair Hutchins on the other side.

"Your bath is ready. You have an hour."

"It is?" Nora asked.

"Yeah, Mayor insisted you get the place to yourself." Clair said tossing her a key. "Use that to lock the door, and don't take more than an hour."

Clair walked away, leaving very little to converse about, as usual. Nora grabbed her cleanest clothing and headed for the community bathroom. They had makeshift showers and tubs but they never did any real magic. Most places cost so much to run them that usually a bucket of water was more worth it.

But for the first time Nora saw something reminiscent of her old life. She locked the door behind her and reveled in the clear bathwater. The bath itself was sitting beneath a window so that the sunlight would help keep the water warm. It was a trick in the Commonwealth, truly heated water was a luxury left to those with a lot of caps. _Or unless you were part of the Institute._

To Nora's surprise the water _was_ hot. She watched as steam rise from the clear water – Nora's clothes were off within minutes ready to milk the hour for all it was worth. With a little soap and fifty-five minutes later Nora was once again clean. Dirt wasn't hiding in unimaginable places and her hair no longer had any remnants of blood. The water was a sad grey-pink color when she was done, but her muscles were reborn and if this was Hancock's idea of repaying her, she was ready to do his bidding for the rest of the year.

Nora dressed in a pair of jeans with a simple white shirt and her greaser jacket. With her jeans snuggly tucked into her combat boots, Nora returned the key to Clair and gladly headed over to the Old State House.

When she made it up the stairs she could hear Hancock and Fahrenheit arguing.

_"_ _You can't go alone." Fahrenheit. said._

_"_ _You have to stay here." Hancock said. "I don't trust anyone else."_

When they heard her footsteps begin the stairs she heard them stop talking, waiting to see who's head appeared at the top.

"Well if it ain't my favorite wanderer!" Hancock said.

"I suppose I am." Nora said. "I'd kill more people for you more often if I knew _that_ would be my reward."

"You liked that huh? I get once every so often just liven up my ghoulish complexion." He said with a wink. "Take a seat, you're just the person I'd like to see."

Nora sat down before the table that was covered in chems. _How much did he actually use?_ Nora asked herself.

"Help yourself to whatever's on the table sister. I got a proposition for ya." Hancock said.

Nora waved her hand indicated she didn't need any chems, her current drug of choice was remembering the way that bath felt. She leaned back in the couch letting her muscles continue to melt.

"I've got a nice this going with Daisy, and selling chems here in Goodneighbor." Hancock began. "But seems like my special caravan isn't moving anymore cause of a run in with a Deathclaw. I was thinking you go with me, get my back, ya feel? We'll go recover what we can and talk to some folks at Bunker Hill about a new shipment. You'll get a cut of course, and we can even stop by the gallery and pickup your loot. What do ya say?"

"You want to go rescue some chems, _from a Deathclaw?_ " Nora asked. "We better be talking a substantial amount here..."

"We're talking enough chems to make Goodneighbor happy for months. Fred Allen isn't what he used to be, for the amount of chem users we've got, we need a lot more than his weekly batches. Plus chems keep everyone happy, when people are happy, no one gets shot. _Usually._ " Hancock said.

"Yeah, alright, I suppose I could tag along." Nora said.

"You sure you can travel with a ghoul? For some folks it ain't easy, even with my kinda charisma." Hancock asked.

"I think I can handle you just fine." Nora said.

"I'll be the judge of that." Hancock said with another wink. "Meet you at the gate in an hour."

Nora's eyes widened, "An hour?" she asked.

"Yeah, can't hurt to leave sooner rather than later." Hancock said popping a Mentat. Then she watched him reach in his pocket and toss Pickman's safe key into her lap.

Nora frowned not happy to carry her rifle and satchel through the commonwealth again. The idea of visiting Pickman's gallery so soon also sent shivers down her spine. But in truth, she needed the work, she needed to keep busy. If she didn't keep busy, surly she would go mad. She watched Hancock pack a small bag, mostly filled with chems and shotgun shells. With a great sigh she heaved herself from the couch and managed to say "see you at the gate."


	4. A Long Walk

Hancock once again found himself admiring Nora. She leaned against the Goodneighbor gate clad in armor and carrying a rifle fit for killing. He knew she was the right person for the job, his back would be safe, and he could enjoy her backside.

"I like you more and more wanderer." He said. "Got any room for me in that jumpsuit?"

Nora put on her silver sunglasses and smiled, but gave him no reply. Hancock popped another mentat.

"How far we headed?" Nora asked.

"Well let's stop at Pickman's first, then head to Bunker Hill. I have a friend there that will tell me the whereabouts of where the last caravan ended up."

"Then lets go," Nora said with a smile. "Got one of those for me?"

Hancock offered her a mentat, "The intellectual type huh? There's just more and more to like about you." Hancock said.

Nora swallowed the pill and felt a bit better about having someone to talk to while she roamed the Commonwealth. It had become so sedentary to her, so lonely. But perhaps she needed the company, if someone like Pickman, who couldn't shoot a rifle, could bring her down… maybe she was getting sloppy.

It took them an hour to get to the gallery cautiously taking side roads to avoid a rather large group of super mutants. Nora was impressed with Hancock's ability to be perceptive. Plus she rather enjoyed his stories about the stranger folk that visited Goodneighbor. Though he never did say much about his life before Goodneighbor, nothing short of, " _of the people, for the people."_ Which made Nora realize they were both leaders of large groups, with major responsibilities. Nora had recently distanced herself from her settlements and the Minutemen – and realized Hancock used chems to do the same with his duties.

Having a daily dose of chems certainly would make those settlers easier to deal with.

* * *

When they arrived, the gallery looked just as abandoned as it had when Nora first arrived.

"When I hired you to scout out Pickman gallery, I never imagined you'd be taking me here." Hancock said. "Guess I'll get to see his twisted work firsthand."

Nora put her back against the door and kicked it in with her boot. It swung open and she took to covering the first room on the left. Hancock covered the stairs. They worked so fluidly together, scanning rooms, checking for life while both of them keenly aware of the other.

"Clear." She said.

"Clear here." He said. "Find the safe yet?"

"Still looking." She said. Nora couldn't quite remember where the safe had been, as a baseball bat had been so eager to introduce itself to her skull.

Hancock joined her in the first room.

"You weren't kidding, this… this is a bit much." Hancock said looking at the rotting heads and torsos of the torn apart raiders. "This is why I've got no taste for art."

Nora remembered the safe had been behind a painting. But couldn't quite remember which, but in any case her reward was going to be to keep her promise. One by one she took the paintings off the wall and stacked them side by side. The last painting to add to the stack was labeled "Picnic for Stanley," which at last revealed the safe. Nora quickly opened it and found the contents to be decent. She took a substantial sack of caps and a hunting knife. Nora grinned, quickly and effortlessly she cut the canvas out of the frame of each painting. The fabric easily stowed in her pack, and the empty frames now looked appropriate.

"Come on," she said. "I know the way out."

Hancock was puzzled when the _way in_ was no longer the _way out_ , but he followed her anyway down to the deep recesses of what he imagined was once a basement, turned to an elaborate connection of tunnels.

"Where's this party headed?" he asked.

"Just a little out of the way," Nora said. "Have something else to get."

"To complete your collection there?" he asked.

"Exactly." Nora said. "They're not worth anything without the whole set." 

Nora turned on Diamond City radio and let her PipBoy echo off the walls. _Sixty Minute Man_ came on.

"This is my kinda song." Hancock said.

Nora rolled her eyes. Hancock was certainly the cocky type, but it did make her smile. She found herself asking if he really was a sixty minute man, and if he was, what did that entail? Nora blushed when her mind had wandered just a little too far. She lead him quickly through the tunnels, and finally past several slain Raiders leading them eventually to Pickman's corpse.

"Damn. Well if they weren't dead before. Those are some skilled shots, sister."

Nora's face showed that she was flattered by his compliment. She noticed some ammunition she had left behind on the raiders, she began to gather what she could.

Hancock however looked at this shitty little room and realized this was where Pickman did all his dirty work, this was a raider's hell. Hancock's eyes roamed the room and found a small green vial. With an eye for chems Hancock picked it up off the ground and dusted off the glass. It was empty, but it looked unique, and he wondered if he knew who had made it. He popped the vial open and sniffed.

"This smells like shit." Hancock muttered to himself. "He must have used this to drug her..."

Hancock realized where he knew it from; in fact it was the only chem that was actually banned from Goodneighbor. It would knock anyone out for days, and not in the fun exciting day trip kind of way. 

He watched Nora stare at was the only complete painting in the room; it was whatever Pickman had been working on last.

Unmistakably, it was of Nora. It showed her bound, it showed blood, it showed her fear, her struggle…

Hancock felt his fists tighten as he looked at the painting. Why was there so much blood? He began to look around, and found rope tied with a knot, the perfect size for her small wrists. And then there was her hair, still tied to a piece of rebar, only a memory of how beautiful it had been when he and Nora had kissed. He had held that same silky hair in his fingers.

He heard the tearing of cloth as Nora cut out her own portrait and added it to the bag with the others. She looked around the room and scavenged any artwork Pickman had done. Then with her bag tossed over her shoulder she looked back at him. She was collecting them, on purpose, Hancock wondered what she intended to do. 

"Coming?" she asked.

Hancock pocketed the vial and met Nora at the top of the ladder.

Familiar territory was relaxing to him. And so was Nora, just as calm as ever she took the stolen paintings from her bag and piled them a few feet away. Hancock watched Nora pull out a bottle of vodka and pour a fair amount onto the canvases, just as _Pistol Packing Mama_ began to play. She then took a gold flip lighter and tossed it onto the pile. The blaze was instant, and Nora looked completely satisfied.

"This one hell of a barbecue." he said.

Hancock had no idea what had happened to her down there… but this bonfire wasn't just for nothing. Nora had shot Pickman for a reason, and Hancock was happy to watch her burn what was left of him. She had ended up in an abyss and crawled back in one piece. Hancock lit two cigarettes in the flames, putting one between his lips and handing the other to her. Together they watched the paintings shrivel into ash.

* * *

Bunker Hill was a place that Nora had rarely frequented. The traders usually came to her settlements. But she did find it clever that all the traders gathered in one place, guided and working together. She remembered the last time she had been here, and that was with the Institute. They walked past the very same basement bunker that she had found several Synths hiding. Later relaying them back home after killing a Brotherhood Commander. Nora shook the memory from her head.

"Got some trading to do?" Hancock asked Nora.

"Always." She said.

"Let's find Cricket." Hancock said as he cast his glance at the residents.

"Found her." Nora said, pointing at the market center. Cricket stood behind a counter, she was checking the sights of a 10mm pistol, tweaking it with a screwdriver.

Surprisingly, Cricket was someone Nora wanted to see too. Cricket's face was dark and her eyes were red, it looked like she had been a little heavy handed on the chems lately, or she never got any sleep from her constant need to blow things up. Nora knew that she was someone not to be trusted, Cricket had often given the institute locations of runaway synths in exchange for caps.

Hancock leaned over her counter, "Cricket my dear friend."

"Well if it ain't the Mayor." She said, her eye twitching as as she spoke to him. "Need a fix?" she asked slightly laughing an odd uncomfortable laugh.

"Well I'm looking into that caravan that got stuck in the mud, if you catch my drift." He said.

"So he _is_ here for a fix!" Cricket said. "I can't spot you the good stuff. But I can tell you that Kessler knows where it was. Talk to her. She's got maps and shit."

Chems had really addled this girls brain. Nora didn't mind, _to each his own,_ and when comparing Cricket to Kleo… _well_ Cricket had her beat.

"Hey, Cricket." Nora said.

"A portion of each trade goes to plant a small tree… Which I will blow up in your honor!" Cricket said.

"Still got that Spray n' Pray hanging around?" Nora asked.

"Course I do! Hard to let go of a baby like this… but for the right price-" Cricket said.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll take it." Nora said, as she snatched the gun from her hands and tossed her a bag of caps that Hancock had given her this morning.

Nora held the gun in her hands; it felt good to be excited to use it. "This just feels… right." She told Hancock.

"Looks like a fantastic, we'll have to put that baby into action." He said. "Now lets look for that Kessler before we lose our light."

Nora packed away her new toy and followed Hancock around the short area that was Bunker Hill, she was more concerned about playing with her new gun than finding Kessler, _but hey_ , Nora was just along for the ride. It was nice to follow someone else across the Commonwealth for a change.

Hancock finally found Kessler who seemed to be frustrated with her output of corn. While Hancock wandered over to Kessler, Nora took a moment to stock up on a couple stimpaks and a little buffout just for the walk back, because carrying a supply of chems back to Goodneighbor sounded awfully tiring. Plus a little chem courage couldn't hurt the dialogue between her and her colleague. Nora still became nervous talking to Hancock when completely sober. He had an affect on Nora and she wasn't sure if she liked yet. But, if her curiosities were telling, Nora was more interested in Hancock then she allowed herself to admit.

For the first time in a long time, she thought of Nate, her late husband. He was a solider, a protector, and a sweet talker. Nora had fallen in love with him because of these qualities. Perhaps she was seeing these same things in Hancock. Were these similarities just Nora's longing to be with Nate again, or were they alluding to something more important… that perhaps she was attracted to all men with these qualities.

Nora rejoined Hancock as Kessler was giving him a map, and with the sun falling further on the horizon Hancock asked if she'd like to continue on, or call it early and stay at Bunker Hill.

"Let's head out." Nora said. "That's not far from here, and it's near a safe settlement – we can rest there if it takes too long to deal with the Deathclaw."

Hancock nodded and adjusted the strap on his sack before flinging it over his shoulder. Nora could tell he was obviously irritated about something. They wandered out of Bunker Hill in the direction of the caravan. Nora stayed by his side and was relieved when he brought up what was bothering him. For a moment, she thought she had offended him.

Hancock asked, "Did you want to leave because of what they said?"

"What're you talking about? What Kessler said?" Nora asked. Nora had been buried deep within her own thoughts and barely heard anything Kessler and Hancock had said to each other.

"No, no, those comments – about you, and about me."

Nora's face became red. Was he about to bring up their kiss? The abrasive flirting? The fact that she stared in his eyes for too long?

"Are you talking about us?" she asked, still unsure about what he was referring to.

"You really didn't what that Savoldi guy was saying to his drinking buddy? Not any of it?" Hancock asked referring to the bar tender and his patron that had been within earshot of where they were standing.

"Oh, I can honestly say I didn't. Why, what did he say?" Nora asked.

"It's not important." Hancock said, slightly relieved she hadn't heard him. "I just wanted to make sure it hadn't bothered you."

After a few more minutes of silence Hancock asked again, "You really didn't notice the guys at the bar?"

"No, I didn't." Nora said, she stopped walking and turned to face Hancock, "But now you definitely have to tell me what they said."

Hancock shook his head; "it's just some dumb assholes. You don't need to hear it."

"Well clearly you think it's a good thing that I _didn't_ hear it. And now I want you to tell me." Nora said.

Hancock sighed and remembered the conversation the best he could… and even though he remembered the conversation well, he gave Nora the brief version, somewhat edited on his part: 

_"…_ _She's got a fine ass, but I who would want her if she's with that."_

_"_ _That ghoul can't give her what you could, especially in the sack. I mean what's wrong with a regular guy? Zombies get her off or something?"_

_"_ _It's disgusting is what it is."_

              _"I bet she makes him leave his shirt on. And leaves the lights off."_

_"_ _Maybe he pays for her company. Maybe I can pay for her company too, she does have a really fine ass."_

Nora was appalled, people never changed. Nate had dark skin, and she had gotten used to the occasional crass comment. An entire nuclear war occurred because of people's differences and everyone is still prejudice about how someone looks, or how much radiation they've acquired.

"Look I'm just glad you didn't hear it, I thought that was why you wanted to leave." Hancock said.

"I personally would've broken the first beer bottle I found and held it do his throat." Nora said while shrugging her shoulders. "But then again…" Nora began to walk foreword again, Hancock at her side.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "I would've been right behind you." Hancock smiled. "I'm also flattered you'd stand up for me and all." 

"I suppose that's what I would do now, but before the war I wouldn't have. People talked about my husband and me all the time. I just got used to shrugging it off."

"Your husband?" Hancock asked, this was a detail he had not yet learned about.

"Yes, he was a soldier, he fought in the resource war… his skin was darker than mine and we always got a few stares or awful comments now and again."

"And where is he-" Hancock began.

"He's gone." Nora finished. "He died in the cryochambers I told you about. Years before I even woke up."

"You're breaking my heart over here, sister." Hancock said.

"He's been gone a long time." Nora said. She smiled a half smile. "Had to get used to this place on my own."

"Well you're not alone now," Hancock said, "You an me, we're having one nice bloody swath across the commonwealth."

"Whatever keeps the days rolling." Nora said with a smile. "You're not so bad you know, I'm glad you have my back."

Hancock smiled a very large smile when Nora said that. He had also been surprised that Nora had told him something so intimate about her life, something that probably hurt her to talk about. For the rest of their walk he tried to make conversation by being personable too.

"You know… you taking care of Pickman, I ain't proud of having to put you through that. That shit usually ain't my style." Hancock said.

"You didn't make me do anything, I chose to kill him, I didn't have to." Nora said.

"I just hate seeing guys like me use their sway and end up causing harm… Hell, that sort of bull is the whole reason I became mayor in the first place. Some ass named Vic ran the town before I got there… for I don't know how long. The guy was scum, used us drifters like his own personal piggy banks. He had this goon squad he'd use to keep people in line. Every so often he'd let them off their leash and go blow of some steam on the populous at large. Folks with homes could lock their doors, but us drifters? We got it bad." Hancock paused remembering the night in question. "This one night… a drifter said something to them. They cracked him open like a can of cram on the pavement. We all just stood there, did nothing."

"You can't blame yourself. It sounds like you were outmatched." Nora said. "They probably would've killed you too."

"You're right. But it was still spineless. I felt like less than nothing. Afterwards, I got so high, I blacked out completely. When I finally came to I was on the floor of the Old State House… right in front of the clothes of John Hancock." Hancock paused to smile. "…John Hancock first American hoodlum, and defender of the people.

"So that's where the get up comes from." Nora said. "Suits you."

"I might of still been high… but those clothes spoke to me, told me what I needed to do. I smashed the case, put 'em on and started a new life… as Hancock."

"Then what did you do?" Nora asked.

"I uh, got clean for a bit, and got organized. Even convinced Kleo to loan me some hardware. Then I got a crew of drifters together and headed out into the ruins and started training. Next time Vic's boys went on their tear, we'd be ready for them."

"You don't actually think the clothes of John Hancock spoke to you… right?" Nora asked.

"Naah, I just felt you know… a connection. It seemed like he and I were dealing with the same shit. Serious oppression."

"Alright, good. Now tell me how it all went down with Vic." Nora said.

"Well the night of, we all got loaded, let Vic's boys get good and hammered and burst from the windows and rooftops where we'd been hiding. They never even saw it coming!" Hancock animatedly jumped from a nearby rock as if he was jumping through a pane of glass like before. "We didn't have fire a shot, we didn't have to. But we sure fucking did! It was a massacre. After we had mopped up we strolled right into Vic's quarters in the state house, wrapped a rope around his neck and threw him off the balcony."

"You certainly know how to make an entrance." Nora said smiling.

"Oh I _did_ sister, there I was dressed in Hancock's garb standing before the people of Goodneighbor down below. At first they didn't even sound like my words… _'Of the people, for the people…'_ was my inaugural address. Became major Hancock of Goodneighbor that day. And from then on I vowed I'd never stand by and watch, _ever again."_

"Well, you won't have to. We'll… take care of the Commonwealth together." Nora said.

Hancock smiled; he liked the idea of doing something together. Other things crossed his mind too, but traveling, doing this, yeah he could get used to that.

"Good. I just hoped you'd get where I was coming from. I'm not out to bring harm to anyone that didn't earn it. Though I'm getting the distinct idea that you've got the same plan."

Nora looked at Hancock and realized that he certainly wasn't just some sweet talking guy in a fancy coat. He really did have a soldier's principles, he really was a protector, and she liked everything about him. Even his skin didn't bother her. She did however find it unsettling that she could get lost in his black eyes for what seemed like hours, she did it enough that he had probably noticed by now and was sure to use it against her in some coy comment about how she must find him handsome in a " _king of the zombies_ ," kind of way.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: next one is a goodie! Hope this wasn't too much game dialogue, just wanted to show that they're bonding... without the chems and booze. ;)


	5. Take Shelter

It didn't take long before they had found the wreckage of a small caravan. The sun had set and the moon now illuminated the surrounding area. There was a Brahmin that had been torn to bits and the contents it had carried were now strewn about the countryside. Nearby there was what looked like and abandoned diner, and a familiar fuel stop, the Red Rocket. They were north, but not quite out of the city. The metropolis was dwindling by each passing mile, another half a day and she'd be back in Sanctuary.

"Look alive." Nora said.

"I don't think we're alone." Hancock added.

There were claw marks in the dirt; teeth marks on the Brahmin, they put their backs together and carefully surveyed the area. They each scanned the horizon looking for anything that indicated where the deathclaw could've gone.

"Would you look at all that Jet." Hancock said clearly distracted now, reveling in the stash that was broken beneath his feet. The box was on its side, spilling out chem contents leaving Hancock with a silly grin on his face. He bent down to rummage through the stash and place it all back inside the box.

"These aren't too heavy, I can take most of them. No reason you gotta' break you back carrying all this shit." Hancock said.

"I'm more concerned with walking away from here," Nora said, "If this Deathclaw is still around it's hiding and we're just food to him."

"Yeah, but if we get out before he notices, who's the wiser one here?" he said, still grinning that stupid grin.

Hesitantly, Nora bent down to grab a box and began to string rope around it so that she could manage to carry it without complaint. Hancock helped himself to some chems of his own, pocketing a few while sucking on a Jet inhaler.

"This wreckage stretches out a bit, you better look around and make sure you're not missing anything." Nora said.

"Nope, this is it, three boxes of the finest, sweetest chems you'll ever taste." Hancock said.

Then Nora heard a distant sound, something she couldn't quite make out, she took her rifle and held up the scope looking for any lurking Deathclaws, and instead she found a Radstag. It seemed hurt, stumbling, but then it started running, running at her, angry and at full speed.

"Hancock." Nora said.

He didn't answer.

"Hancock!" she said with more urgency.

"For you, I got ti-" he began, but his sentence was cut short as the Radstag ran right between him and Nora, it's hooves echoing against several stones in the it's path. Neither of them even pausing to breathe they looked at each other and back where the Radstag had fled from.

Of course there was their friend they had been looking for all along. The biggest, blackest, angriest Deathclaw Nora had ever come across.

"Can't all be easy." Hancock said with a sigh. He pulled out his shotgun and jabbed a shot of Psycho in his leg. "Let's do this!"

Nora tossed a live mine a few feet ahead of them as they both retreated to a nearby cluster of trees; Nora took a moment to ready her lighter with a molotov in hand, and waited. It took only seconds before the deathclaw stepped on the mine while in a dead sprint heading for the two of them. It knocked the Deathclaw back but only seemed to piss it off even more. In that stunned moment is when Nora tossed the molotov at it's feet and shuffled herself to the next area of cover, Hancock staying behind to pop off a few shells into the deathclaw's back.

"Come on! At least try!" he said, egging the deathclaw on. As it sprinted towards Hancock, Nora unloaded a clip from her Spray n' Pray. She liked the way every other round had a rather explosive quality.

Hancock's shells only seemed to tickle the animal in comparison.

The deathclaw made its choice and knew the stronger of the adversaries needed to be taken care of first. Nora watched as it lunged at her, she barely had time to sidestep its sharp and bloody claws.

She heard Hancock shout, "Get Cover!" then later, "You ugly bag of bones, over here!"

Between them she heard another mine tear through the creature's leg. The deathclaw was crippled now; lying in the middle of the road, the sound from its mouth was pain and frustration. It wanted to kill them, it still did. Nora had barely had enough time to duck behind a cluster of rubble, to shield herself from the blast.

"It's still not dead!" Nora yelled.

"Got it." Hancock said, reloading the barrel of his shotgun. "Distract it!"

"Hey, over here you sonofabitch!" Nora yelled firing her gun at its remaining foot. She watched as Hancock's tricorn appeared just above the deathclaw's horns. Its angry eyes were focused in on Nora. Two shells went off from Hancock's shotgun. Then the beast let out a small lonely groan and it's eyes rolled to the back of its head.

Then it was silent.

"The next one better kill me." Hancock said with a smile.

"Well went that went better than expected. Not a scratch on me." Nora said while standing to dust off her vault suit.

"Why don't you come over here and make sure I don't have any injuries." Hancock said. "I bet you make one hell of a doctor."

"How about I just toss you a stimpak and we'll go from there." Nora said with a wink.

Hancock looked down at the now dead beast and thought about how easy it had been to kill the thing. She tilted her head and remembered the fear and angst that had come with her first deathclaw fight. This was almost a cakewalk. Maybe it had been her companion's help that had made her battle so easy.

"I'm glad you got my back," Hancock said, "Most people that run with me don't make it more than a day. And what do you know it's nighttime, you made it the whole day. Fancy finding a place to bunker down with this handsome ghoul?" he asked.

"That truck stop isn't a bad idea, there's usually a few over looked supplies hiding around." Nora said, ignoring his flirtatious comment.

"Yeah. Let's settle in for a chem break." Hancock said returning to his neatly packed boxes filled with chemical concoctions. Nora placed hers on her back and offered a free hand to help Hancock with the third.

"Share the load." she said.

Nora grabbed the handle on the side of the box while Hancock grabbed the other side, and placed the second box under his arm the best he could. Together they easily carried them to the Red Rocket truck stop. It didn't leave them many free hands, but if they were careful when heading back to Goodneighbor, they may just have an easy time yet.

The Truck Stop was close, easy to get to, and once inside the mechanical door still worked and Nora slid the garage door shut. They set the boxes down without a word.

Hancock had enjoyed having these conversations with Nora, and he wanted to know how he could get her to tell her more about herself. They had shared small conversations at the bar, he had learned a little about her life. He knew she had come from the vault, put on ice. She was a seasoned killer who knew her way around the Commonwealth, as well as a weapon. But after he had heard about her husband, he realized he must not know much about her at all.

"That's how I want to spend my Halloween." Hancock said.

"What?" Nora asked.

"Halloween, you know, _'you scared yet_?" Hancock asked. "Boo? Wasn't that a Pre-war holiday?"

Nora hesitated as she thought back to Nate and Shaun. She was so close to Sanctuary, so close to her old life. The 23rd of October forever burned into her memory.

_"…How about we go to the park? We could take Shaun with us." Nate Said._

_"Last time you and I went to a park we ended up 'making' Shaun." Nora smiled at her loving husband. "How about we go to the store, we could carve            pumpkins instead." Nora said. She remembered the way Shaun's mobile turned… the way her baby boy had held onto her finger with his tiny hand._

_Then Codsworth's voice tore through her pleasant memory, "Ma'am! I think you'd better come see this!"_

_"My god..." she remembered Nate saying._

Nora shook the thought from her head. A long time ago she had been preparing for Halloween with her neighbors, admiring their decor, and wanted to have something of her own for the holiday. With Shaun just being born she hadn't been home to do anything for the holiday, things were finally settling in... Nate was home, Shaun was born.

"You wanna talk? You're making me a little nervous over here." Hancock said.

"Huh?" Nora asked.

"You've been staring at that wall now for quite some time." he said. "Mole rat got your tongue?"

"Oh, I uh, I'm sorry-"

"Here." Hancock said handing her a warm beer. "No reason to be sorry."

"Thanks." Nora said while turning on her Pipboy to fill the silence. _It's all over but the crying_ , came on. The song and the beer lulled Nora into a deep depression, which was easily seen on her face. She looked at her Pipboy and it was in fact the 31st of October. She thought back to October 23rd, 2077, she wondered what it would've been like if the bombs had never fallen and Halloween had occurred like a normal day. She thought about what would've happened if the bombs had fallen and her and her family had perished in the blast.

Nora realized the thought of the latter had made her jump from her seat, causing a look of concern from Hancock.

"I am sorry," Nora said. "This holiday just reminds me of so much."

"Sorry, I uh, wouldn't have brought it up if I knew." Hancock said. "Why don't you uh, get some rest, I'll take the first watch."

Nora nodded and thankfully took her bedroll to the corner of the small station. She clicked off her Pipboy only now realizing it was just making her sadder.

"Wake me in a few hours." Nora said before tucking her arm under her head and shutting her eyes.

* * *

Hancock bit his bottom lip, chewing on a piece of scarred skin. His attempt at conversation had failed and he could tell that Nora's attitude had changed drastically. He had only managed to upset her, and that had never been his intention. Hancock rifled through his pockets picking out a chem he had grabbed from the road. It wasn't your usual chem you could buy from just any trader. This was a shipment for Hancock's personal stash, some rare chems that nobody even knew they made – worth a fortune. He took off his hat and took a seat in the window of the shop. This was where he made himself comfortable, giving him a vantage point for his shift of watch, and this chem was only going to help pass the time.

He wrapped up his arm, finding a vein and wasted no time in taking a full dose. The liquid made his face melt like a pat of butter on a Brahmin steak. The night looked brighter, he swore he could even hear Nora take in small breaths. This did the trick. This made him feel alive.

He looked at Nora, her small frame looked so fragile as she slept. Her armor was by her side, her gun not at her hip. Hancock was the one responsible for her safety right now, and she trusted him. Hancock's mind wander back to when they had kissed... and what could have happened if Nora hadn't gotten held up at the gallery. He imagined how he would've liked their night to go. He would've bought her a few drinks, made her comfortable... he would've kept his arm around her, showing her off to the patrons at the bar. Even though their evening would've been a social one, his thoughts would've been reeling about kissing her all over again. 

He imagined that every time she would put a glass to her lips, a cigarette, or a jet canister, he would wish that was him instead. He wanted to be on her lips. He wanted to be underneath her, on top of her, and entirely naked with her. He wanted to wake up next to her and stare at her naked body for hours. He wanted to kiss her while she slept.

Hancock's mind traveled to his choice to take a couple girls home while Nora had been gone. He felt regret, he was sure that if Nora hadn't walked into the State House while he was making another woman moan that maybe they would be in a different place right now. Maybe she would be resting her head on his chest this very moment. Maybe he had missed his only chance.

He tossed the used syringe into the corner of the room and out of curiosity he pulled out the syringe he had found in Pickman's studio. This was another chem no one saw anymore. Hancock as a good mayor saw that it was banned when a couple of gunners used it on a girl. No one really knew about the chem until the girl ended up dead in her hotel room. The things that had been done to her while she was under that chem's spell... were unspeakable. Hancock promised he'd protect his people. So the next few assholes that tried that shit were shot in the street and tossed out as chum for the next Mutant to come along.

Hancock just prayed that Pickman had only used it to subdue Nora, and not anything else.

The thought of Pickman even touching Nora made Hancock's fists ball up so tight that the syringe broke between his fingers. He picked the small pieces of glass out of his scarred hands. But he couldn't even feel any pain because of the chem flowing through his system. Hancock turned to look at Nora, she seemed to be asleep now, her chest rising and falling so steadily. He wondered if he could make up a few more excuses just to travel with her some more.

Then he heard a sound. His eyes looked for where it had come from.

Nora had heard it too, Hancock turned to see her sit up from her bedroll, almost as if she had a nightmare.

Then he heard it again.

Nora grabbed her weapon and threw herself through the open window next to Hancock, she didn't even bother to grab any of her armor, and she was just running straight for the sound of what could only be the crying of a small child.

Hancock follow in pursuit. He was trying to keep up with Nora but she ran so fast. He watched, as she didn't even aim her gun. She was running up on three ferals bent over whatever meal they had just found. At close range she unloaded several shots from her Spray n' Pray – easily hurting herself from they exploding rounds but she managed to kill two of the ferals. When Nora reached the pile the third feral had turned to attach her, she dove at it with exceptional speed. Nora used the butt of her gun to bash in the face of the ghoul. She brought her arms up, and back down again, over an over till Hancock was sure she was just hitting pavement.

He raised the pistol he kept at his back and shot at a ghoul that had come from behind the building nearest Nora. Hancock's lucky shot had killed the ghoul midair; it landed next to Nora with a thud. She looked to her right and saw several more ghouls charging her. She aimed her weapon and unloaded every bullet she had at those ferals, Hancock covered her left and tried to get her attention.

"Come on, there's too many!" he said.

Nora ignored him and kept firing until she heard her clip 'click' on empty. Nora turned to look at Hancock and down at the pistol he was using in his hands. Hancock quickly tossed it to her, and she returned to shooting and killing every feral in sight. There must have been a nest nearby, because there were more than ten ghouls at their feet when Nora finally paused. Some ferals were still moving but no longer had the legs to charge them. Nora crouched down behind a car where the first three bodies lay; she pushed them away and revealed what was once a mother and her infant child. Both had been killed and become dinner.

Nora's bloody hand clasped over her mouth as she tried to hide her pain from her companion. But Hancock saw it, his heart sank from looking at her. Hancock grabbed her by the arm and forced her to her feet. They had to move, he could hear more ferals, he couldn't see them yet, but they were going to head towards the gunfire, and he needed her to move.

Hancock forced Nora forward and she began to move with him, away from the carnage. The truck stop was in sight, but the ferals would round the corner in time to see where they were headed, so thinking quickly, Hancock pushed Nora and himself into a Pulowski Preservation shelter. Hancock jammed the butt of his shotgun in the coin-operated slot and watched the door enclose them. Only a small light flickered above them. The light showed Hancock the smeared blood on Nora's face, and the tears that had run across her cheeks. Then the light flickered off, and they were left in the dark.

Nora was sobbing, he could tell, he didn't need to see it, in such small quarters he was glad to have a reason to pull her close to him and hold her in his arms.

"Shh." He said while smoothing his hand over her hair. He held her as tight as he could, unsure of when he would get this chance again. "I'm sorry that happened."

The idea of letting her go didn't even occur to him. He knew he felt something special for Nora, he knew because of how she felt in his arms. This scared him and excited him all at once. So for what was probably an hour, they stood there in that shelter in each other's arms. Nora held him so tightly; he enjoyed the feeling of her needing him. The chem he took made his empathy for Nora intense, almost too intense, he somehow wished he could take away what she saw.

"I'm so sorry." She finally said. "I shouldn't have put you, I mean us, in danger like that. I was foolish."

"No, I'm glad I took up with you. I've never seen someone so hell bent on protecting someone else. You put your life in danger to save some innocent people, and in my book that's okay, sister."

"But –" Nora began.

"I know. They didn't make it." Hancock said. "We'll save the next ones. I promise." Hancock took this moment to place a kiss on her forehead, and then he felt her relax slightly.

Hancock was able to manage a seat for the two of them if he sat on the floor, and Nora crossed her legs over his. Both of them had their backs against the shelter walls, a tight fit, but a safe fit.

"This will do for now, and by morning I'm sure it'll be safe to duck outta' here." Hancock said, "Why don't you and I get some rest?" he said.

Nora's mind was beginning to wander and she couldn't shake Shaun from her mind. She kept hearing the way Shaun cried when he was ripped from Nate's arms, the sound had haunted her for a long time. And tonight... had been so real.

"I must confess something." Nora said.

Hancock listened intently.

"You asked me a while ago if I had any kids," Nora said. "I told you no, but that was a lie. I had a son, he was just a baby. I carried him into the vaults and he was taken from me. When I woke up I tore apart the commonwealth trying to find him."

"Did you ever find him?" Hancock asked.

"Yes." Nora said, and after a long pause, "but he's gone now."

Hancock only returned her honesty with silence, completely unaware of how to comfort her after such a confession, and after tonight's ordeal.

"Two-hundred and eleven years ago I was going to carve pumpkins for my baby boy's first Halloween." Nora's head found it's way onto Hancock's shoulder, finding comfort in him being there. "Then…" Nora let out a large sigh, "…then the bombs fell."


	6. Sanctuary

A lover's embrace was a term Hancock had once laughed at. He never understood how one embrace could be different from another until he held a sleeping Nora in his arms. The sun had risen and warmed the shelter, while she had grown even more comfortable in the crook of his neck, he could feel her cold nose pressed against him looking to find warmth. His head was resting on hers, and he could feel her chest rise and fall.

Nora had stirred in her sleep, tormented by the night's early fight. But when she had awoke she found Hancock holding her, and then all at once everything was okay again.

"Look at you, I must still be dreamin'." Hancock said.

Nora smiled, she couldn't believe how she had slept at all that night, somehow Hancock being there had made it okay.

Both of them had their own thoughts about the other, which they desperately wished to share, but instead they managed to work themselves out of the each other's embrace and exit the Pulowski shelter. There were no ferals in sight, but Nora could still see the aftermath from the other night. She turned her head and looked the other way.

Nora's first step was met with discomfort. Her legs were sore, her back stiff, and she could feel the burns she had acquired from the other night. She took a few deep breaths ready to swallow her pain and carry on, but instead she found Hancock offering her his shoulder, which she greatly draped her arm across.

Hancock helped Nora limp to the Red Rocket station they had occupied the night before and he carefully sat her down on top of one of the chem boxes they had carried. She watched as he rifled through their things they had carelessly left behind. Nora was surprised their things were even still here.

She watched Hancock becoming painfully aware of how she felt about him. Nora had tried to push her affection for Hancock aside, but it seemed that she came to like him more and more. The closeness they had shared last night was something she couldn't shake either. Hancock had this comforting effect on her, and that kiss had all but consumed her. She asked herself, _"I wonder if he waited?"_  Nora rolled her eyes _. "No. Not now. I can't ask myself that now."_

Nora was shaking thoughts from her head again. Of course he had waited, it didn't matter to him who he went home with that night.

Hancock came over and inspected the burned parts of her suit. There were several small burns on her forearm and a couple larger ones on her legs. He applied a cool rag to a burn on her inner thigh.

"Someone had fun with their explosive ammo." He said while taking a stimpak and pressing the needle into her leg. Nora's head fell back as the stimpak numbed the pain and she felt it begin to heal her wounds. "You sure know how to light up one hell of a BBQ."

She looked at him, his right hand was resting on her knee, and his left hand was gingerly touching the largest burn on her leg. The change in temperature assured him that the chem was working. The feelings of his fingertips on her flesh gave her goose bumps.

Hancock had saved her, after she had drastically ran into the middle of a fight that they never would have won. Perhaps he felt something for her. Maybe the feeling she had when she kissed him was something entirely genuine.

 _"_ _But he moved on to someone else."_ Nora thought to herself.

Perhaps Hancock may have been hasty in taking other women to bed, but who was Nora to judge?

_He wasn't hers, she wasn't his._

"Would you have been there the next day, you know, if I hadn't gotten held up?" The words spilled from Nora's mouth as if she was unaccustomed to pain killers. 

"For you? You mean that day after the bar?" Hancock asked. He looked up at her with his black eyes and sighed. "Well… I did. When it got late I convinced myself you made had a mistake kissin' me." 

"Impulsive, sure, but certainly not a mistake." Nora said. "I hope you don't think I did it to be nice or something..."

"Well I guess that begs the question, would you do it again?" Hancock asked, this time his thumb ran over a bit of unharmed flesh, the small touch raised gooseflesh.

"I might." Nora said as she looked into his eyes once more. She hated the fact that she was biting her bottom lip.

And Hancock hated it too. He wanted to touch her lips, occupy them with his own, but she was taunting him by hiding her bottom lip behind her teeth.

"For you, I got time." was all he said.

Nora found the sunlight illuminating Hancock's face just so that she could see the original outline of an iris in his eyes. They were still black, but there was so much character behind the shade. She smiled and couldn't seem to look away.

Hancock had remembered how soft her lips had been, but it was like remembering a dream when he thought about it. He wanted to kiss her again, so badly, and he was going to he had leaned in towards her face, leaving his hands to wander. But his hand grew careless and she let out a small gasp when his abrasive fingers scraped a very aggravated burn.

Hancock pulled away from her. "Let's uh, give that stimpak a little time to work it's magic, and in the meantime, you should take a couple buffout tablets. It'll get us back to Goodneighbor in one piece." He said. Hancock began to go through his pockets until he found a white bottle labeled 'buff.'

"Then I'll buy you a real drink." He added.

Nora took the two tablets Hancock held out to her, and she watched as he took three for himself.

The strong kick of the chems began to put her in a very positive place.

"Thank you, Hancock, for having my back the other night." Nora told him. She stood up and began to collect her things, throwing her chest plate back on and fiddling with the straps.

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad I took up with you." Hancock said. He was surprised to see; a now clad in armor Nora, had placed her hand on his chest and slowly slid her fingers upwards until they drifted over the open neck of his shirt. When Nora's hand found it's way behind his ear, she pulled him close for what was a short and sweet kiss.

"Come on, let's head out and get that drink you mentioned." Nora said, pulling away from him and throwing her belongings over her shoulder.

Hancock was silent for a moment, perplexed that once again this girl had kissed him. The most throwing part of this act was the part where her fingers had lingered on his skin, they had felt every ghoulish scar, and not even hesitated in the slightest. That was the thing if you were a ghoul, no one ever touched you the same way again, except Nora, she acted as if he was just as human as the day he was born.

Hancock gave her a genuine smile that Nora could only return.

"How about you take a minute to reload that weapon of yours – and give me a minute for a breather. Can't act on all my impure thoughts right now, even though other parts of me might want to." Hancock said while caressing Nora's cheek. Nora blushed and felt her cheeks grow warm from his touch, and even more so from idea of his _impure_ thoughts, which now ran rampant through her mind.

"Alright, I'll be here." Nora said while biting her lip again. She watched Hancock wander out of the Red Rocket and disappear behind the walls of the structure. She felt the connection between them, and she was surprised she wasn't afraid of what was to come.

Outside, Hancock lit up a cigarette trying to ease the arousal that was fairly obvious. He buttoned his coat closed and sucked on the cigarette waiting for his body to relax a little bit. He too felt the damage to his body from sleeping inside such a small space; his muscles held a dull ache that he thought the buffout would've taken care of by now.

Hancock decided to give himself a little more his favorite chem, a little reward for still being alive and for getting to kiss that beautiful girl again. Hancock had been lucky to find this chem – it reminded him of the chem that turned him into a ghoul several years ago. He hadn't mentioned to Nora that the urgency of their recovery mission was due to his lack of personal supply. It seemed that he couldn't get by lately without a taste of the good stuff. His old favorite mentats did little for him these days. He rolled up his sleeve and injected the syringe into his arm and waited for the melting sensation to take over his body. It relaxed him and for the first time in a while he felt really fucking high.

Hancock heard the sliding door to the Truck stop open, and on the other side standing in front of all those chems was a commonwealth-protecting babe that he was going to take home with him. The image of her standing there clad in armor, skin showing, guns loaded, brought back the idea of his impure thoughts, and the fact that perhaps they would become a reality. That thought really didn't help his arousal at all. He wanted to grab her and ravish her right there on top of a pile of chems while she echoed his name through the streets of the Commonwealth. Instead, he flicked his cigarette onto the ground and began to help Nora with the boxes.

* * *

The carrying part was easy. Nora's heavy armor looked like it was in her way but the extra buffout tablets had given her the strength of three men. In fact she was walking faster and more efficiently than Hancock. He realized after about an hour his steps had become inconsistent, his heart was racing, and eventually his vision had begun to blur. He had worked through what he thought he could, but he finally had to stop.

Hancock was slightly disturbed by the sensation, unsure of what he was feeling. He remembered the way his skin felt when he was slowly rotting away and becoming ghoul. He shook the thought from his head, he must just be sick, the heavy lifting, lack of sleep, none of this was good to his body and now he was beginning to feel it.

"Let's get this show on the road." Hancock said with a wink, "Daylight's burning."

Nora picked up the chem box again, this time noticing how tired Hancock actually looked. Nora let them walk several more feet before she put back down the box.

"I actually need to catch my breath." Nora lied. She set down her boxes and began to stretch, acting like she really did need a moment to rest."

"Feeling like a chem break?" Hancock asked.

"I'm fine, I can still feel the tabs going strong." Nora said, "How're you feeling?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Hancock said waving away her concern.

"Here, lets stop in here, I'll eat something that would give me the energy I need to make it back." Nora said, motioning that he join her in an abandoned building.

"Well if you want something to eat, just say so darlin'." Hancock said with his usual flirtatious smirk. "I've got something right here."

Nora rolled her eyes at him but still rewarded him with a smile.

"I think our goal should be getting back by sundown." She said. "I don't think we have time for those impure thoughts of yours."

"Don't pretend like you don't have them too." He added.

The door was non-existent but the structure was sound and there were tables and chairs where they could sit for a moment. Nora carried in the boxes one by one setting them out of the way and against a wall. As she set down the last box she stood up and felt Hancock standing behind her, he placed a hand on her hip while the other brushed her hair off her neck. His touch was driving her mad and she felt how her body was begging to be caressed, but after last night she knew that spending another night out here wasn't going to be good for either of them. She turned around and playfully tipped back his tricorn so that it sat askew on his head. Then she told Hancock to take a seat before handing him some water, which he seemed grateful for.

"Guess I'm a little tired from the other night." Hancock said.

Nora knew that he was covering up a little more to how he felt. She could see a shaking in his hands and discomfort in is brow.

"You sure you're fine?" Nora asked.

"Yeah, one more hit of jet will do the trick." Hancock said. Nora tossed him a jet inhaler from her own bag, and Hancock caught it.

Nora heard some commotion from outside and quietly made her way to the window to check it out.

"Raiders?" Hancock asked.

"Think so." Nora said. "Maybe if we're quiet they'll just pass by." Nora patiently watched outside the window for anyone who might have already seen them enter this building, or just nearby wanderers. She knew the amount of chems they were carrying were enough to cause anyone to rob them, not just raiders.

"Worth a shot." Hancock said, "Just one last hit…"

Nora watched as a couple laser-rifles managed to show themselves from behind an old bus. She was watching, listening… But before she could see them or how many of them there were she heard Hancock hit the floor.

"I thought we were supposed to be-" Nora stopped midway through her sentence.

She thought he had slipped or fallen, but he wasn't moving. Hancock was on his back and no longer breathing. Nora flung herself to his side not being careful to be quiet. She placed her head against his chest and could no longer hear his heart. _Fuck._

"You've got to be fucking kidding!" Nora exclaimed. Before she had time to panic, she dug into her sack she managed to find a stimpak, she looked at the syringe and then at Hancock. "Hey, wake the fuck up!" Nora slapped the side of his face a couple times trying to get a rise out of him.

Somehow Nora thought he could hear her, but with no sign of life whatsoever, Nora took the stimpak and forcefully drove the needle into his chest and pressed down on the plunger.

Nothing.

She listened to his chest again and still heard silence. She pulled the stimpak out and tossed it on the floor letting it roll away from them.

Nora raised her fist above her head and realized her hands were shaking violently.

 _"_ _No, I have to stay calm."_ She told herself.

Nora composed herself and took a deep breath, with great difficultly she pushed down all the brimming emotions she felt and made herself be calm.

She brought down her fist heavy on his chest.

Nothing.

She raised her fist and brought it down a second time.

This time his chest inhaled suddenly, and exhaled quickly. She placed her head to his chest and heard a thumping heart beat. _Thank god._ Hancock was still unconscious, but breathing. As she was listening against his chest, her other ear picked up the distinct clicking of a hammer on the back of a pistol.

Nora froze. She didn't want to turn around. Then she heard the empty stimpak crush underneath someone's boot.

"General?" someone asked.

Nora turned around to find two members of the minutemen, both holding their laser-rifles and one wearing a hat almost identical to Preston Garvey's.

She let out a sigh, but almost lost control of the tornado of emotion ripping through her.

They had given whatever this had been a second chance and now only moments ago he had been dead.

_I can't handle this. I can't lose someone again._

"General!" the said. "What's going on? Did this man attack you?"

Nora cleared her head and began her orders.

"Make me a stretcher, out of anything, we're going to carry this man back to Sanctuary."

"But General, if you head south you'll find a doc-"

"I'm not heading south! _We're_ , heading North! Now build me a fucking stretcher. _That's an order!"_

The two men looked at each other and managed to collect enough material to build something to carry Hancock. While they were busy moving him Nora quickly covered their boxes of chems with some debris and pieces of cloth.

"You carry, I'll shoot." Nora said. "Move out."

"Yes, General!" the men said in unison.

* * *

Nora covered the men as they quickly made their way back north towards sanctuary. Nora didn't want to risk going south and being unable to fight off adversaries, and even if she had made it far enough to a doctor, she wouldn't have been able to get him inside the gates of Diamond city. She would've had to make it all the way to Goodneighbor, and she didn't think she could without risking Hancock's life.

Along their hasty travels, Nora shot a few blood bugs, a couple feral dogs, and detoured them away from a sleeping Yao guai.

This was certainly easier than trying to sneak past nests of ferals or gangs of super mutants.

They were passing the Red Rocket truck stop just outside of Sanctuary; Nora knew they were close, not long now. Nora had been checking Hancock's pulse every few minutes, and once they reached the bridge to Sanctuary she noticed it had become an almost non-existent flutter.

Nora considered her options, apply another stimpak, or race back and get the medicines she needed from Garvey's safe.

"His pulse is dangerously weak, I need you to run. Take him to my home, and I will meet you there with what I need. _Do not_ leave his side!" Nora said.

Nora let Hancock's wrist slip from her grip and she began to run. The minutemen were close behind her but she was faster, she hoped the last remnants of the Buffout tablets were coursing through her system. She made her way to Garvey's house and when she entered the front door, it came off its hinges.

"General?" Garvey asked, startled and aiming his rifle at her head.

Nora took no notice to a gun being pointed at her and made her way down the hallway where Garvey had a safe. Well, a safe Nora had found for him. She even still knew the combination. She flung open the door to reveal the minutemen stash of chems. Inside she grabbed the only addictol, a bag of irradiated blood, and a couple syringes of Med-X and then she ran past Garvey in the hall who was yelling something at her. She nearly knocked him down to the ground – and Nora wished she had because Garvey followed her all the way to her home were her two dogs greeted her at the door.

"General, we have to talk!" Garvey said.

"Not now Garvey."

"General, I insist!"

Nora made sure the front door slammed in front of his face so he would get the point, and wasting no time, Nora already had the cap off the med-x when she was rounding the entrance to her bedroom. She injected the med-x into Hancock's arm and then took another stimpak and thrusted the serum into his chest.

"General," the minute man began, "he's already-"

"Leave!" Nora yelled.

"But Gen-"

"GET THE FUCK OUT OR GET SHOT." Nora said, her heart was racing her hands ready to pull the pistol from her hip and kill either of them.

Her chest was rising and falling so rapidly. She turned away from the leaving men and refocused her attention on saving Hancock's life.

This time his heart started without the punch to the chest. The med-x, and stimpak working harmoniously. She studied his pulse closely, waiting for it to get strong.

"Okay boy, stay here, bark if he needs me." Nora told Dogmeat.

At first Dogmeat tried to follow her.

"No, Stay! Stay with him boy." Nora said pointing to the bed.

She exited through the side door of her home to access her chem lab in her car park. She pulled apart the addictol inhaler, carefully trying to extract it's contents in a liquid form using the empty med-x syringe. She returned minutes later. She found that his pulse was irregular but strong. She quickly injected the addictol contents into the bag of irradiated blood before attaching it to Hancock's arm.

She knew that Hancock was a frequent user and that a simple inhaler of Addictol wasn't going to cure him. She knew from experience with her friend Cait, that sometimes an addiction digs so deep there's no way to get it out unless you take drastic measures. She hoped that by taking the inhaler apart and diluting it with the blood, perhaps it would clean out whatever junk made his heart stop in the first place.

She sat down in a chair next to her own bed, her fist still clinging to his wrist. Dogmeat's head rested on her knee and Riot, the Junkyard Dog, rested at her feet. Both dogs had missed Nora greatly, and she felt bad for leaving them behind.

After what seemed like ages Nora felt Hancock's pulse become regular.

Then Nora fell asleep in her chair, her head resting on the mattress of the bed, exhaustion had found her after her buffout was finally gone.

* * *

Hancock rubbed his eyes and felt himself take in a deep breath. The air was fresh, he felt like a brand new man. The sun was bright, but it didn't bother him like usual, he wasn't hung-over from the night before.

He felt really good.

He realized he wasn't in his own bed, but it was comfortable, it felt clean, and smelled like… laundry.

When his eyes adjusted to the light he realized the place he occupied was like something he'd never seen before. The paint on the walls wasn't peeling away, the table next to him held a working alarm clock, there were no boards nailed to the wall, no cloth to make a ceiling. This was pre-war.

He rolled to his side and realized he shared a bed with Nora. She was sleeping next to him naked but draped in the sheets like some sort of goddess. He reached out to touch her cheek and as he did he saw his unscarred and smooth hand, adjacent to a perfectly normal human arm. Then he reached up to touch his head, full of soft hair.

Nora rolled to her side and opened her sleepy eyes, a yawn played across her face.

"Hey there." Nora giggled, "I think I'm more tired now than when we went to sleep."

The scar was missing from her face, and in the background Hancock could hear a baby crying.

_Then he woke up._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think about this stage in the story. I respect Hancock's tolerance and usage, but I feel like he can't always be perfect - plus I wanted to play around with the game glitch, where he can in fact die, (fingers crossed that never happens to anyone!) And now we'll get more Nora development having brought her back to a place she really doesn't want to be, also for anyone wondering, that last bit was just a normal mini dream sequence. I don't typically care for dreams, but I just wanted to play with the psyche for a moment.


	7. John

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nsfw. Last 1,000 words or so get a little heated, a little tame love for anyone who needs it. :)

Hancock sat up in his bed. He opened his eyes and found himself in a dark room. It was nighttime and the cool air from fall had found its way under his skin and he began to shiver. He realized his clothing had been removed and that the sheets were wet from his own sweat. His heart was beating erratically and his head was pulsing. He took in a deep breath and felt incredible pain.

"Did a Brahmin dance on my chest?" he asked himself while swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

The only response to his question was a dog bark. Hancock looked down to find a curious Dogmeat sitting at his side.

"Well... who are you?" Hancock asked, realizing it hurt him to speak.

Dogmeat only let out a soft whine.

"Do you know where my clothes are?" he asked Dogmeat jokingly. Hancock didn't expect for the dog to put its nose under the bed and pull out his familiar garb.

Hancock said "thank you," now slightly unnerved that this dog could understand him. He stood up, put on his pants and tied together the top with an American flag. His abdomen was still bare, but now he felt less chilled than when he had woken up.

"Where am I?" Hancock asked. Looking around the room he recognized the familiar layout of the room as it was from his dream, except it was definitely not still in pre-war condition.

"How did I get here? What the hell happened? Who undressed me? …I need a fucking drink."

Too many thoughts was making Hancock's head spin. He gave the helpful dog a nice pat on the head before he stepped out of the room. He looked down a dark hallway, across the hall was another room, and perhaps Nora would be in–

Hancock stopped; he only took one step into the room before he realized where he must be. Yet, it was curious to him how he had managed to dream all of this. He had been asleep; he had never been here before, yet here he was looking at a baby's crib. This had to be Nora's home, her pre-war home. Why had he dreamt about this?

"Nora?" he called out.

There was silence.

Hancock walked over to the crib; he toyed with the broken rocket ship mobile and picked at the rotting wood. There were block letters on the floor, a dresser in the corner, all the components of a nursery still lingered after all these years. Suddenly the pain Nora had shared with him the other night became so very real.

He remembered his dream he was here with Nora, before the bombs…

Hancock could hear a commotion coming from outside. He returned to the bedroom where he awoke, and knelt on the bed. He pulled aside the makeshift curtain which allowed him a good view of what was going on outside.

"Garvey, leave me be." Nora told him.

Hancock watched as this, Garvey, grabbed Nora's arm and pulled her back towards him.

"General, you can't just disappear like that!"

"I can do whatever I want Garvey, I don't have to be here. The minutemen are large enough that they can take care of themselves."

"We need you, we need a leader, I need you, General." Garvey said.

"My name is not General. Stop calling me that." She said angrily.

Nora tore her arm out of Garvey's grip and made her way up the steps to her house. Hancock quietly stood from the bed and tried not to make any sound as an angry Nora flipped over what sounded like a large piece of furniture.

Dogmeat ran past Hancock straight to Nora the dog hoping to give its master some sort of help.

"Hey boy." Nora said, kneeling to pet Dogmeat, and giving him a scratch behind the ears. "How's he doing?"

Dogmeat barked.

"I'm fine." Hancock answered, stepping out of the darkness of the hallway, "got one hell of a headache though."

Nora looked to her left and found a shirtless Hancock standing in her hallway. His lean body was scarred but still so strong. Her face felt hot from staring at him, she sort of hated that she found him so attractive.

"I imagine so, been out for awhile now. All those chems working themselves out of your system."

"What the hell happened?" Hancock asked. "Haven't done it that hard in a while. At least tell me it was a party worth remembering."

"No party, and I can't imagine you've done that before." Nora said, "Your heart stopped. Twice by my count."

"Shit, how the hell-" he asked.

"I gave you a couple forceful stimpaks, and brought you here." She said.

"How'd we get here?"

"Had help from the minutemen, they showed up just in time." Nora said. Nora gave Dogmeat one last scratch before she stood up and gave a patient Riot her own attention.

"So you were the one tap dancing on my chest." Hancock said, "Did you undress me too?"

Nora stood up and smiled. "I'm glad you're more concerned with who undressed you rather than you know… dying."

"You undressing me? Me dying? Worth it." he stated flatly.

Nora stood up and walked over to Hancock who was so proudly standing in her hallway, that smug look of his face.

"You should be resting." Nora said, she placed her hand on his bare chest.

Hancock placed his hand over hers, "I've been asleep for a while now, I could do with a little exercise."

"You weren't asleep all night, I was there, and you did not get any–"

Nora's sentence stopped short when Hancock pulled her against his body and kissed her with fervor. His hands snaked around her waist. But Nora pulled away from his kiss, breathing heavily,

"You can't-" Nora began, before his lips met hers once again. "You prom-"

Another kiss hitting her lips. Then she gave in, slightly enamored with his hands finding their way around her waist grabbing her ass and picking her up. Nora responded by wrapping her legs around him.

"Hancock." Nora said with a slight moan.

Hancock pressed the two of them against the wall while they both kissed and Nora's hands explored his skin.

"Call me John." Hancock said.

Nora's head tilted back as Hancock's lips nibbled at her neck and collarbone.

A small "John…" escaped her lips. It was whimpering and soft, unlike anything he'd ever heard.

Then a very unwelcome knock came at the door.

"General! I insist that you talk with me, civilly." Garvey said while knocking on Nora's front door. Hancock pulled away from her.

"Goddamn it." Nora said. She shook her head and Hancock placed her carefully on the ground.

"I can get rid of him." Hancock said, unbuttoning the top button of her shirt.

"No, I'll take care of him." Nora said. "I was serious about you getting rest. So go do it." She was still grinning from what had just transpired between them.

"I really need you to do that properly…" Hancock said.

Nora licked her lips and reached down between his legs to grab his stiff cock, she gave it a good squeeze.

"Dogmeat will keep you company." Nora said. "He even likes to cuddle, unlike those nasty mole rats."

Nora let go of him and watched this look of pure lust spread across is face - it almost alarmed her – as flirtatious as he was, she had never seen him give such a look.

She slipped out from between him and the wall, walked over to the door and exited.

Hancock let out a large sigh, his chest still hurt, but it seemed to be at ease with his blood being involved elsewhere. He returned to Nora's bedroom and took his spot in the now dry bed, hoping that he could even catch an earful of their conversation outside.

"Where do you get off, Garvey?" Nora asked.

"General, I think that you know. You left Sanctuary with no word to anyone about where you were going, then you come running back, creating a scene, threatening those men's lives, while trying to save some OD'd ghoul." Garvey paused. "I think you can explain to me why you at least abandoned your duties."

"Duties? What duties? My duties are to go clear out an infestation of Radroaches every now and then? Maybe a gang of Super Mutants? I think if I can handle them on my own, a settlement I armed with turrets, guns and very able bodied men can handle them too." Nora was growing very angry. "It's not my job to build beds anymore, or plant crops, I'm done with this life, I can take care of myself and I've taken care of the minutemen long enough."

"General, if this has to do with the institute business… Sturgess said you didn't come back the same."

"Garvey, don't you dare bring up –"

"…and we all know about the Prydwen." Garvey began.

"That's just it Garvey, you don't know. Don't act like-" Nora began.

"I'm sorry General, I thought the minutemen meant something to you. I thought I meant something to you!"

Nora was stunned, unsure about what Garvey was really getting at, was he mad she left Sanctuary behind, or left him behind?

"That Vault-Tec Rep said that ghoul hails from Goodneighbor, is that where you've been? Shooting drugs and living with lowlifes?"

"GARVEY!" Nora said. "Watch what you say… I built your home. I built your minutemen. I can take it all away." Nora said. "We'll be leaving in the morning, and don't worry about seeing me again. I won't be coming back."

"General!" Garvey said, once again grabbing her arm, "Please General, stay with me."

"Garvey, I-" Nora was surprised that Preston placed his lips on hers. But Nora's recoil was fast. Her first instinct was to reach for her gun, but instead she slapped him across the face.

The awkwardness that filled the silence between them was uncomfortable.

"Garvey, you're the new General now. You don't need me." Nora said. Pulling her arm from his grasp. "I've done my job here, now the rest is up to you." She walked away and entered her house without giving Garvey a second look.

She thought now was as a good time as any to leave it all behind, permanently.

Had he really just kissed her?

She took a deep breath and lead Riot to her back bedroom where she found a happy Dogmeant sitting at Hancock's side. She began to fill a trunk with anything she thought worth keeping. Hancock was lying on her bed, still shirtless, Nora wished she had climbed into that bed with him instead of talking to Garvey. Garvey had an incredible ability for killing her original mood.

"He's definitely in love with you." Hancock said.

"Shut up. Please." Nora said.

"You guys have a thing or something?" he asked.

"No, we just worked together." She said. "I really don't want to talk about it. I didn't know he was going to do that."

"You mean kiss you? I would. Pretty sure anyone would." Hancock said with a smile. "Why is it you'd want to leave someone like the minutemen?"

"Because I've done my part, I can't keep choosing anymore."

"Choose what?" Hancock asked.

Nora shrugged. "Who I protect. People are going to die regardless, I can't save them all, and they are capable of taking care of themselves... I was a fool to think you-"

"-Me? Me what? What about me?" Hancock asked, Nora could hear an irritation in his voice.

"That being with you would be different. At the bar you promised me that you were a ghoul, you 'weren't going anywhere,' but I barely brought you back from the dead yesterday. I can lose you just like I can lose them. Like I lost my husband, my son…" Nora said.

Nora realized she was letting on more than she'd like to…

Hancock stood up and quickly closed the distance between them, his sexual appeal becoming unnecessarily clear to Nora. Her breathing quickened.

"You've never moved on from that have you? You can't just choose me because I'm not dying of old age anytime soon. What you keep in the next room isn't helping you heal, this place isn't good for you." He told her. His thumb ran over her scar and teased at her bottom lip.

"I've tried, I've left Sanctuary before… Here I live right below the vault that put me to sleep, too close to my husbands frozen body, and in the same home were I brought home my baby, Shaun. I watched him fall asleep in that crib... and I crawled out of that vault and tore apart the commonwealth looking for the bastard who had taken my him." Nora said.

"What happened, exactly?" Hancock asked.

"Someone took him. And I found Shaun, like I said. But he was an old man, withered and ill. We had a short time together, but my son was born and dead all within months... well at least to me… How is that fair?" Nora asked.

"It's not." He said. Nora's eyes welled with tears, "You don't have to go at this alone. You know, what about you, me, and the commonewealth?" he reminded her. "...one bloody swath."

"The one place Shaun didn't exist was Goodneighbor." she said. "He couldn't be there. That's why I went there, I know it. I didn't have to be the general; I didn't have to be a mom, or a widow. I could just be someone else."

Someone who had a chance to be happy.

"I was in a world that solely existed because of the war, a place you made for people, people that were running and wanted to bury their shit. You made me believe that was possible. Then I found you." Nora said, her breathing was erratic and she realized she was shaking quite violently. "You made me believe…" she said again.

Hancock was bombarded with information, he felt like she trusted him. He felt flattered, he once again forgot about being a ghoul and felt human, with a real human connection.

Hancock stepped towards Nora, she was so upset, and his only instinct was to comfort her, he asked the kinds of questions she never wanted to answer, but perhaps this could be good for her, maybe she could really leave it behind.

"You want to start all over, with me? This ugly mug?" he asked.

Nora looked at him, now aware that his voice was no longer agitated. She didn't say anything.

Hancock took another step forward until there was but an inch between them.

"You died." Nora said.

"But I'm not dead. I must be immortal, what's not to like?" Hancock said.

"John –" Nora began.

"Oh, I like that, say that again." He told her while unbuttoning that second button on her shirt.

"John, I-" she said. And then his fingers met the third.

"One more time." He said, while toying with the fourth.

Nora looked him in the eyes; those eyes that bewildered her and made her forget everything. She could feel his hands on her skin, her bare skin. Nora felt a chill work its way up her arms.

"John, you died." Nora said one last time. Hancock separated the last button from her shirt and slid it off her shoulders slowly, unaffected by her words. The two of them stood silent and shirtless while Hancock used the tips of his fingers to raise goose bumps all over her flesh. Then his kissed her, holding her face in his hands, protective and firm. She relaxed into his kiss, feeling her heart begin to flutter, her cheeks begin to flush as her torso touched his.

Hancock picked her up again and Nora found herself lying on her own bed with Hancock above her.

"You'll bring me back, Nora." He said. Hancock's lips were working their way down her neck to her collarbone. She felt her bra become unclasped and slid off her arms effortlessly. She shuddered a very shaky "John…" the moment his mouth found her nipple. The sound of his name only caused him to bite down. This was making Nora feel something she hadn't for a very long time.

She pulled apart the knot that kept his pants around his waist and watched as he stood up and got rid of them all together. Hancock then tugged at her pants until they slid off; he took time to hold each ankle in his hand while he freed each leg from the confines of her denim. Then he looked at a nearly naked Nora.

"Do you, have any idea how perfect you are?" he asked her, with his hand sliding across her flesh.

He felt her hands slid up his back and over his neck. Nora felt his skin, it was different sure, but in the dark all she felt was the heat – his need for her, his passion for her, she could feel it. She felt the way his fingertips brought a warmth beneath her panties that only intensified when his hand slid underneath them and felt how wet she had become.

"John!" she exclaimed. "I need you John." the slight pant in her breath drove him mad.

There she went… biting that lip again, how could he resist such a face?

"Oh, love… I'm feral now." He said. With speed he tore off her panties in one motion and had himself between her legs, ready to hear his name one more time.

"John." Was all he needed. He didn't need her to beg or talk dirty, he just needed her, and she needed him. He entered her quickly, and all at once, feeling her, and letting her feel him. From then on he went slow, mesmerized by Nora's face in the moonlight.

This feeling completed her, being with him. She didn't feel alone anymore, she didn't feel used or worthless. She felt alive, and took in every inch of him, rewarding him with noises he would never forget.

She came within minutes of him being inside her, and once more when her and John finished together. They both lay breathless, sweaty and clinging to one another as if they let go they would float away. Nora lit two cigarettes and handed the other to John, they both lay in a cloud of smoke, naked and wrapped within the others grasp.

"Didn't expect you to have this kind of lapse in judgment." He said. "But seems to work out pretty well for me."

Nora lightly smacked his chest with the back of her hand.

"Don't be so cocky." She said.

"Oh I can be really cocky... would you like me to do it again?" he asked her once again crawling in-between her legs.

"How do you have this much energy?" she asked.

"I slept most of the night," he said, "I know cause you were there."

"Was I?" Nora asked him raising her eyebrow.

"Yes, in fact I had a dream a lot similar to this." He said rolling back onto the bed and placing his arm around Nora. "Best dream I ever had."

They fell asleep placing kisses on one another's faces. Smiling and laughing, as if it was only the two of them in the entire world.

* * *

 

The two lovers awoke within a few hours to the sun creeping over the hill. Nora and Hancock dressed, taking her things and her dogs with her when they left that morning. Before leaving Sanctuary Nora found the two men that had helped her bring Hancock back to Sanctuary. She apologized for her rash actions and gave them each a hundred caps to thank them. She also said part of their payment required them to call Preston Garvey the new Minutemen General. She told them that if they got the name to stick, she'd give them each another hundred caps.

Nora looked back at Sanctuary when they crossed the bridge. She took a deep breath and turned back around to find Hancock waiting for her dressed in his red coat wearing his tri-corn, just like the first day she'd met him.

She watched him take off his hat to carefully place a kiss on her lips. Nora smiled at him as he returned the tri-corn to its rightful place.

"Let's get this show on the road." He said.


	8. A Guilty Conscience

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut all over the chapter!

Nora and Hancock returned to Goodneighbor under the cover of darkness. Daisy smiled and waved as Nora's two pups wandered the streets entertained by all sorts of smells. The dogs had enjoyed being with Nora once more and even better yet, they really liked Hancock. Nora whistled, calling for them to come back as Hancock and Nora crept into the Old State House, startling the guards on duty.

"Welcome back Mayor." He said as the fright left his voice, "ma'am." Nora watched at the man tipped his hat at her.

Nora nodded in return.

"Keeping these under lock." Hancock said, "I've got the key."

The man nodded again.

Nora and Hancock took the crates down the winding stairs and left them in an empty jail cell.

"Didn't even know this was down here." Nora said.

"Yeah, fortunately we don't have to use it much." He said.

Nora's neck was warm; her suit was clinging to her skin. It had been a hot day and they had made their way across the commonwealth as quickly as they could, managing to pick up their hidden chem stash on the way.

"Fancy a drink at the bar?" Hancock asked her.

"I'll take a drink," she said, "but I'm not going to the Rail."

A smile spread across Hancock's face. Their walk home had been long, and with determination they made it back in once piece. But Hancock could no longer talk himself out of his impure thoughts about Nora. After last night he found that all day long he wanted her to drop the box she was carrying just so he could bend her over it. Now neither of them had to read into what 'having a drink' meant.

Hancock picked up his perfect wanderer and spun her around while giving her a kiss on the lips.

"You prefer vodka?" he asked, taking a moment to kiss her a second time. "Or Whiskey?"

"Vodka." She said. "Maybe both."

"I feel like we're seeing eye to eye here. And extended eye contact with a ghoul ain't for the faint of heart." he said.

Nora giggled at his comment, still staring into his eyes like she did whenever she got the chance.

"Let's head upstairs, doll." his voice emanating a low growl that Nora only heard when he was turned on.

As Hancock chased Nora upstairs he almost tripped on Dogmeat who was making himself comfortable at the top of the stairs. The top floor was empty, besides the couple guards downstairs they were alone.

Hancock grabbed a bottle of vodka off the table; pulling off the cap he took a swig and handed it to Nora. Nora took a hefty helping herself and clutched the bottle close to her chest.

"Come on, give it up." He told her.

"What? This?" she asked, she took another drink, and then began hugging the bottle between her breasts. This made them strain against Nora's suit and Hancock was becoming dizzy with _that_ need again.

The bottle of vodka ensued a very short game of 'keep-away.'

"You want it?" Nora asked, playfully darting behind the couch, daring Hancock to charge her. He rounded the couch - his hand only grazing her ass as she slipped away from him. Nora pressed herself against his counter, the same counter he used to prepare meals, and make drinks.

"You want this?" she said. Teasing him once more, this time dangling the bottle between two fingers, trying to coax him into grabbing it.

Hancock looked at her and at the bottle of vodka. Her smile faded slowly as she once again saw that look of lust that frightened her. "No, I want _you_." He said. Hancock walked towards her, eyes locked with hers; he smacked the bottle out of her hand and if flew against the adjacent wall, smashing into several pieces.

Hancock lifted her onto the counter, ready to serve himself one more meal.

Their lips collided, tongues teasing, teeth playful biting and nipping at one another's lips.

He gratefully unzipped her suit; which started at the nape of her neck, and ended at the top of her thigh. Nora knocked his hat off, and began to unbutton his coat as Hancock worked her body out of her suit. Her one article of clothing had been easy for him to pry off, but as she began to work at his shirt, he stopped her.

With one last kiss he distracted her with enough time to rip her panties with his fists. Nora gave him a startled grasp. Some pieces of elastic still clung to her waist.

"I _don't_ like to be teased." He said into her ear.

Without much warning Hancock buried his face into her cunt.

She had forgotten what this felt like, the rush, the _need_. Hancock was making her feel things she didn't even know she could. She felt his hot tongue circling her, teasing and giving whenever he pleased. Then she felt one finger slide inside her - he did this so slowly that she thought she might come right there.

The held onto his bald head for support, and in many ways for dear life. Her fingernails were digging into the back of his skull, she realized she must be hurting him, but his efforts did not change, he liked what she was doing to him.

She began to pant, deep breaths at first, then they quickened. Her eyes rolled back into her skull.

"John _, don't stop_." She said in a breathy moan.

The first time they had been intimate it had been this gentle, slow passionate love making that both of them had quite cherished. But this… this was pure lust, and very intense. She could see his desire straining from behind his pants, but his eagerness to please her sent excited waves down midsection all the way into her legs.

John had felt them too.

"Come for me." He whispered between her legs.

Nora's panting was now being interrupted by her moaning. His pace quickened, he no longer teased her with a single finger, he gave her the incredible feeling of two, and at a quicker pace Nora felt her face become red and hot in a matter of seconds. That same heat was transferred to her thighs as the first few waves of her orgasm hit her. Her thighs shut against Hancock's head; she cried his name three times.

"JOHN! John…. _Oh John._ "

His smile was genuine, now covered in Nora's sex. He kissed her again and she fell into the kiss as if it was only the two of them in the world.

She watched as he took out his erection from his pants, giving Nora a full view. She knew he had been big but their late night tryst had left her guessing what he actually looked like naked. She slid his coat off his shoulders, his white shirt went with it, and then for the second time that night, John went to work on Nora.

The first time he slid inside her caused her to moan louder than she had expected, but watching him disappear inside her had thrilled her.

"That's right... take it all in." he said.

He thrust into her again and again, Nora could only try and match his pace, but he was an animal, he had lust in his eyes, a need that only Nora could satisfy.

John was giving her the pleasure of watching not only his face, but his cock slide in and out of her until she cried out his name a second time, even louder than before. Her skin glistened from sweat, and John looked completely satisfied. He stayed inside her, hunched over, reveling in his own orgasm before he looked up at Nora.

"You have no idea how many times I thought about doing that today." He said.

John helped her down from the counter and he wrapped her in his own red coat. Then carried her across the hall to his usual quarters. He laid her down on the bed before crawling in at her side. Together they both fought to catch their breath before succumbing to a deep slumber they both so desperately needed.

* * *

Nora awoke the next day well into the afternoon. Hancock wasn't asleep beside her, there were just a couple dogs asleep on the floor. She stretched her arms, finally feeling rested from the last couple days. The only thing that was plagued her mind was the dirt and grime she knew her body had acquired. And ever since that bath… she didn't know if she could ever go without such luxuries again.

Nora dressed quickly and made her way over to the Hotel Rexford. She avoided making eye contact with any of the guards on duty in case they had indeed heard her indiscretions from last night.

Nora found Clair Hutchins where she always was.

"Lookin' for a room?" Clair asked her.

"Actually… how does one acquire one of those _hot_ baths?" Nora asked.

"You want heat, you gotta pay extra." Clair said.

"I assumed, how much?" Nora asked.

"Three-hundred caps." Clair said.

Nora tossed a sack full of caps on the counter and watched Clair become surprised that she made no argument about the price.

"Alright, come back in an hour." Clair said.

In the meantime Nora decided to take her things to Daisy and Kleo. And she found herself buying more than the usual stimpaks after the ordeal she had with Hancock.

"Daisy can I get some more stimpaks, I like to keep a couple extra around lately." Nora said.

"Sure thing doll." Daisy handed her three more and a black case.

"What's this?" Nora asked.

"Mayor dropped off those chems you guys brought back for me to sell, I sorted them all out, but I know these were meant for his stash, he must not have pulled them all out." Daisy said. "I'm sure you'll see him before I do."

"What makes you think that?" Nora asked.

"Well you did go into that State House and stay there for a lengthy amount of time. Sounds like you're mighty comfortable with the Mayor." Daisy said.

Nora's cheeks must've turned bright red.

"Don't worry doll. Think he's had his eye on you for a while now." Daisy said with a wink.

Nora picked up the items Daisy had given her, and with the short time she had left she checked on Dogmeat and Riot. Hancock still hadn't returned to the State House. And Nora took a little extra time to snoop through the bag Daisy had given her.

When Nora opened it, she saw chems she didn't recognize, things that she'd never seen in a market for sale. She took one of the syringes and inspected it – questioning what it was made of.

Perhaps this had been the problem.

Nora tucked the syringe back into the bag and hid them under the bed; assuming the right thing would be to talk to him about it first, then let him make his own decision. Nora took her copy of 'Live and Love' issue number 8, and her favorite scented soap back to the Rexford with her. Clair handed her the same key and she made her way to her long awaited reward.

She sunk into the bath pleased with the warm temperature; she would easily burn through all her saved caps if she allowed herself to visit the Rexford as often as she'd like.

She flipped through her volume of Live and Love, while her Pipboy played _'Orange Colored Sky._ ' She was blissfully relaxed when the door to the bathroom swung open. She covered her breasts with the open issue of Live and Love. Then she saw it was Hancock who had barged in on her.

"Well isn't this a sight to behold?" he asked smiling at her. "You look good with wet hair."

"Care to join?" she asked him, as he was already pulling off his clothing and letting them fall to the floor.

"Do I ever." He said as he slid in behind her back, "how much time you got left?" he asked.

"Half hour, I suppose." She said while leaning back against him.

"That's a rare mag." He said.

"I collect them. Bits and pieces from my past." She said, "Not all bad reads either."

Hancock began to nibble at the back of her neck. Nora leaned her head to the side as she read so that he could have better access to her sensitive flesh.

"Daisy gave me something to give to you." She told him.

"Oh?" he said.

"Some chems from that shipment. She said you forgot them."

Hancock stopped kissing her, Nora gave him a moment to say something and when he didn't she turned to face him.

"I meant to give her those." He said. "Well, even though I didn't want to, it intentionally left them."

"So was it the reason you… _well you know?_ " Nora asked.

"I assume so. I've used chems for most of my life and never had any of them kill me." He said. "Plus I'm feeling good right now, I've got you, naked, in a bathtub, I'm not worried about needing a high anytime soon." He said.

Nora kissed him. "I don't care what you do," she paused, "Just don't let any of them kill you. I- I would very much not like to go through that again."

"Look at you, worrying about me." He said with a smile, "I can't have that." Hancock pulled her in for a kiss and Nora threw aside her magazine. She straddled him in the tub and enjoyed the excited look that played across his expression.

Hancock was eager to wash every inch of her body, and Nora wanted to do the same. For the first time she really looked at Hancock as a ghoul. Every part of his body covered with scars, strange divots, odd curves…

She looked into his black eyes and kissed the small spot of skin in-between them. Hancock's eyes closed at the sweet gesture, suddenly feeling Nora's tender affection for him. Then he slid himself inside her, hearing her gasp in surprise.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked.

Nora shook her head 'No,' as he continued to move inside her, "Good. Now lean back, and enjoy the ride." then just has they had done the very first time, they made love.

* * *

Hancock awoke next to a sleeping Nora. Her face was buried in his chest, her body wrapped in blankets, hiding from the cool air. She was even more perfect than the day he first saw her. He had grown fond of sharing his bed with her, and would do so until she wished differently, a wish he hoped would not come for a very long time.

On the floor of the Old State House were two sleeping dogs, both sound asleep guarding not only Nora, but Hancock as well. It was the beginning of December, and for the last few weeks Nora and Hancock had removed themselves from many responsibilities and all but locked themselves in Hancock's bedroom while life went on without them.

But today, Hancock had to return to Mayoral duties. The Goodneighbor warehouses were being turned into small homes for drifters who wished to make their stay permanent. Traders were bringing in shipments of wares that Nora promised she could turn into anything from weapons to clothes.

Hancock sat up and slipped out of the bed carefully and quietly so as not to disturb Nora. Dogmeat however woke up at the first sound of his footsteps. Hancock dressed in his red coat, tricorn, the usual get up, and popped a mentat like an old habit while Dogmeat followed him around.

Hancock had dialed back his chem usage since Nora's ordeal, he hadn't needed them because his new drug of choice was her, but for today – a little mentats would do the trick.

Fahrenheit was stumbling into the Old State House just as Hancock reached the bottoms step of the staircase.

"Hey, Mayor." She said, her words slurred and tired.

"Been out all night F?" Hancock asked.

"With me and my two best friends, whiskey and vodka." She said.

"Well, I'll be back, sleep it off. We'll talk business later." Hancock said.

Hancock laughed at F as she made her way up the stairs, just as she had done to him many times. Fahrenheit had been given some time off, due to the fact that Hancock had Nora at his side. Neither of them needed a bodyguard. So F had spent many nights at the Third Rail being Hancock's party face while he partied upstairs.

Today, the citizens were happy to see him, Hancock handed out chems from his own pockets, listened to stories of the regulars, and newcomers, while making everyone feel at home. Everyone enjoyed the idea of permanent housing in the warehouses, especially since Nora had promised she could get them furnished. They were even looking forward to Hancock's promise to provide them with clothing that would cost little to nothing, again thanks to Nora.

Why she had taken such an interest in Goodneighbor, or even him for that matter, he didn't know. He just enjoyed the ride.

Nora found Hancock around noon, he was chatting with a couple residents of Goodneighbor, each of them in an uproar about synths. Dogmeat was still at his side.

Nora overheard their conversation.

"I was at the Diamond City market the other day, and you wouldn't believe! Synths! Everywhere! Wandering around and nobody is even looking at them twice!"

"Yeah Mayor, they mind their own business, but they're everywhere!"

"Think that'll happen here, Mayor?"

"Not as long as I'm fuckin' Mayor." Hancock said.

"But what about your brother mayor, if you don't mind me askin'… you think the rumors are true?" the man asked him.

"Hell, I don't know." Hancock said, shaking his head.

"If Diamond City is crawling with synths, McDonough has to be one of them… right?" another person asked him.

"Look, I got no idea. And that's that, but what I can say that anyone's welcome in Goodneighbor, so long as they don't break the rules. Ghouls, Synths, what have you. But come hell or high water, we don't have to worry about the shit they do at Diamond City. Of the people, for the people, you feel me?" Hancock said.

"Yeah, you're right, we can't be like Diamond City and not allow synths, that's just what they did to us ghouls." Another woman said.

"That's right! Here, you've earned this." Hancock said tossing the woman a jet inhaler.

"But mayor Hancock, they're synths!" another man said.

"You're right, and those institute sniveling synths can leave here in pieces, but those runaways... they're just like you or me." Hancock said. "Goodneighbor can be a home to any of them."

"Yeah, you're right." A drifter said.

"Look if the railroad was still around, it'd be a lot easier." Hancock said. "But they're not, so we gotta do their job anyhow. And that's helping out your fellow man."

"Yeah! The mayor's right!" several men said together.

Nora watched as several men shook hands thanking the Mayor for their little chat. Nora's heart sank. The institute was always in the back of her mind. She didn't help them anymore, but she had in the past. This was how the Commonwealth still felt, and it's how it always would.

She tried to shake the conversation from her head. She told herself she wasn't involved with them anymore. She wasn't one of them. Not anymore. Her heart and stomach sank into her knees. _The Railroad... Decon, Desdemona._

Hancock turned around to find her standing there, he told the group of citizens goodbye and made his way over to her, he wrapped his arm around her, happy to display his affection.

Nora wanted to recoil out of his arm, but she didn't. She felt like a cheat. A liar.

As the two of them walked back to the State House, all Nora could hear was _McDonough._ Hancock didn't know. Nora knew what he was. But Hancock didn't. And they were fucking brothers.

Her heart and stomach sank into her feet.


	9. A Secret

_She should tell him. Shouldn't she?_

Right now.

"You check out on me?" Hancock asked her.

Nora's attention came back to Hancock; she was lost deep in thought tormented by the need to tell him about his brother. Nora was terrified. She had been ashamed of many things, and her extent of knowledge was going to come with questions, and that required answers about the institute, and about Shaun.

_Just do it._

It had been a few days since that conversation in the streets, and Nora's mind had been occupied ever since. So much so, that Hancock thought she was losing interest in being with him. He hadn't even seen much of her, she was repairing flooring in the warehouses so that the third floor didn't fall into the second. She kept busy, and so did Hancock.

"Hancock…" Nora said.

"You alright darlin? Itching to get back out onto the road?" he asked.

Nora changed her frame of mind, his question had given her an idea.

"I have actually. I could stand to scavenge for some odds and ends to finish off some of the beds in the warehouses." She said.

Hancock looked down at his feet; this could be her way out. She had quit the Minutemen, and she'd quit here once she was done. Why shouldn't Goodneighbor be next, why wouldn't he be next?

But to Hancock's surprise, she asked him to come along.

"If you want to, that is." Nora said. "I could use someone watching my back." She said.

A smile came upon his lips, "What'd you have in mind?" he asked.

"The Cambridge Polymer labs, I think they were working on materials for power armor, to make them stronger and better. I bet they have a lot of scrap metal lying around and that's the one thing we're short of." She said.

Nora thought it might be easier to bring it up if they weren't here in Goodneighbor, the trip could do them both some good, traveling before had opened up the possibility for all kinds of conversations, and because of that, they had become rather close. Plus killing a few raiders always made Hancock a little felt a little better now realizing she had a chance to wait – it wasn't so wrong knowing and having every intention of telling him. It just made it easier that it didn't have to be right now.

With her head clear she was able to kiss him without feeling sick.

"We can leave first thing in the morning, doll." Hancock said. "I'm gonna have a walk around the Third Rail, haven't seen the town in the same light I'm used to. And... when I come back I hope you'll be naked."

Nora gave him a smile. They hadn't had sex since she overheard their conversation, Nora was either out and avoiding him, or Hancock was addressing duties. But even when he'd return to his bed well after dark, Nora would pretend to be asleep. She wasn't sure if she could be intimate with him with a secret hiding so close behind her eyes.

"I just might be." She said while biting her bottom lip the way that he loved.

Hancock gave her another kiss as he left her in the state house.

* * *

Hancock took his first hit of jet in what seemed like forever to him. Fahrenheit had bought him a few drinks and Hancock decided to make it into a good time. The Third Rail was filled with newcomers who looked forward to making their stay permanent, and Hancock was honored that these people looked to him for help. God, he loved his town.

He felt the same way when he thought about Nora. She was someone he had felt a longing for, and now that he had her; he hoped she would never leave.

"Hey Mayor, you're back, care for a tour of the town?" one of the usual bar patrons asked him as she sat down beside him. "Haven't seen you at the Rail for some time."

"I'll pass." He said, "But, thanks for the offer." He said, giving her a nod and standing up to put distance between them. The proposition had intrigued him however, not that he wanted to spend the night with this girl, but he certainly had missed being inside Nora. He wondered if she would actually be naked and waiting for him when he got back.

 _Why not go find out?_ He told himself.

The beer in his hands was still full, and he worked on drinking it as he walked up the Third Rail stairs. Hancock said goodnight to Ham, and exited the bar. The air was certainly chilly. With this kind of weather he was grateful that he did share his bed with Nora, they kept each other warm. It was in that thought that the word _love_ crossed his mind. The idea of needing her for the rest of his life became quite scary to him. What was a Ghoul to do? He thought about the girl at the bar, or any of the girls really that frequented his bed, and none of them would ever compare to Nora.

He lit up a cigarette, enjoying his trip, and drink. In a way, he somewhat hated how he knew he felt about Nora. Because the biggest question in his mind would be if she even felt the same. For a Ghoul, especially Hancock, it wasn't exactly easy keeping people close.

The sight he beheld when he reached the top of the stairs took his breath away. Nora was standing in the doorway to the balcony; her naked body was bathed in moonlight.

"Aren't you cold, love?" he asked.

Nora shut the door and walked over to him, he touched her gooseflesh skin and _loved_ the way she looked naked. She was cold, very cold. The jet still had a hold of him, and his fingertips could've circled her flesh for hours, but Hancock was caught off guard when Nora dropped to her knees. She began undoing his pants and she freed his cock while the rest of him was still clothed. He watched as she put him in her mouth, just the tip at first, but then she began to swallow him whole, which felt fucking great. _Why hadn't we done this before? he thought._

His knees began to buckle after only a few minutes.

"Nora if you don't slow down…"

She loved that growl in the back of his voice. Nora sped up. His head fell back and his tricorn slipped right off his head. He gathered her hair in his hands; the jet was making this all happen so slowly.

"Nora." He only managed to whisper.

She responded by moaning while he was in her mouth, the humming from her vocal chords felt amazing.

"Nora, I want to fuck you." He said.

But she didn't let up. He was deep in her throat and she was unrelenting.

She happily swallowed every drop of him when he came in the back of her throat. He fell to his knees and met her face with all sorts of kisses.

"Unbelievable." He said. "Un-fucking-believable."

Hancock undressed and met Nora in bed; both of them had grown to enjoy the feeling of one another's skin as they slept in the nude. Nora put her head on Hancock's chest while she waited for him to fall asleep, hoping the right words would come to her tomorrow. While Nora thought about their conversation, it was her that drifted off to sleep, and Hancock took a moment to return to his thoughts.

 _'This girl, in my bed,'_ He thought. ' _Yeah. Pretty fucking sure I love her.'_ Even thought the words scared him, it make him happy to think it.

Hancock watched her chest rise and fall, her breasts were perfect, her hair was beautiful, even that scar across her eye he'd grown to love. He tucked Nora underneath his arm, and fell into sleep as well.

* * *

"Done in by the best!" Hancock exclaimed as he pulled a grenade from a dead raiders vest.

Nora and Hancock had run into several raiders on their trip north. But before noon they had killed each and every one of them, and Nora hadn't even broken a sweat. She was reloading her weapon and turning over bodies for any extra caps. But it seemed these raiders hadn't had much on them.

"Mutfruit. Score." Nora said bending down to pull the fruit from a pocket of a raider.

"You sure know how to hold your own, I had my doubts when we first hit the road." Hancock said.

"You're not so bad yourself." Nora told him, before taking a bite out of her mutfruit.

"It's just real rare these days to find someone who doesn't take things the way they're handed to them." He said. "In fact when you do it, it's rather sexy."

Nora knew that wasn't true. She did anything Shaun had told her to do, she took it just the way the institute had handed it to her. She regretted doing some bad things to good people, but had she tried to stop it before? No. She was blinded by the need to get her family back.

"Too many good folks not willing to get their hands dirty. And too many assholes taking advantage of it." Hancock said.

Nora had let them take advantage of her. She remembered crying when all those members of the Railroad were dead at her feet. She had become one of those assholes. She took advantage of all those friendships she made. She used them to hurt people.

"Look at what happened to Diamond City, before McDonough took over, it was a half decent place to live. A little stricter than I usually go for, but not terrible. I actually thought he and I had a pretty happy childhood. But then he decides he's gonna try and get elected with his anti-ghoul crusade, 'mankind for McDonough.' And before you know it you've got families with kids lining up to drag folks they called neighbor out of their homes." Hancock scowled at remembering the memory.

"I did over here you talking the other day… you and McDonough… you knew each other?" Nora asked him. Her pulse quickened and her hands became clammy.

"Yeah, the guy's my brother. We grew up in a little shack on the waterfront. He was your standard big brother, entitled, punchy, liked to shove rotten tatoes down my shirt and slap my back. But I never thought he'd be capable of what he did to those ghouls." Hancock told her in disgust.

"Why target the ghouls?" she asked.

"There was a pretty clear divide between the folks in the stands and those down in the field. I'm not convinced they didn't do it just to improve their view." Hancock paused. "I remember storming into his office after the inauguration speech. He was just standing there, staring out the window watching as the city turned on the ghouls. He didn't even look at me, just said, 'I did it John. It's finally mine.'-"

_Nora knew now was as good time as any._

"-Shoulda killed him right there, but I don't think it would've changed anything. Instead I pleaded with him, begged him to call it off. He said he couldn't that he didn't have anything against the Ghouls, he was just carrying out the will of the people. He couldn't betray his voters.-"

 _Okay, now was as good a time as any._ She thought.

"-And then he smiled that mile long fucking smile. He never smiled like that when we were kids. I didn't even recognize him. He didn't seem like the guy I grew up with at all."

"But no one was killed?" Nora asked.

"No one got beheaded sure, but the folks in diamond city had signed their death warrants. I wasn't a Ghoul at this point, so I didn't have to leave, but I just couldn't stay in that cesspool. So I tracked down a few families and lead them to Goodneighbor. But most couldn't get used to the Goodneighbor lifestyle, others I brought food for, but eventually they just disappeared.-"

 _Last chance Nora,_ she told herself. _Tell him now._

"-I felt like I was the only one that saw how screw up things really were… I couldn't pretend things were fine. I still feel that way… or I did. Until I met you.-"

Nora bit her tongue so hard she tasted blood.

"-I know I run my mouth, but having someone see the world for the way it is, and is willing to do something about it, it's meant a lot to me. And I feel damn lucky to have you as a friend."

"And that's what we are? Just friends?" Nora asked.

"Am I really that transparent?" Hancock asked as he smiled and gave her ass a little pinch. "Moments like this, I know all that karma stuff is bull. Because no one like me should be this lucky." Hancock gave her a kiss that made Nora's heart flutter. She had found that peace she thought she would find with Shaun. Hancock had given her a new start, but here came her past, ready to ruin everything.

 _"Maybe I should tell her how I really feel,"_ Hancock thought to himself.

"John, I –" Nora began.

"-Hey look, there it is." John said.

He walked up to the front door of the Cambridge Polymer lab and put up his hands.

"They'll have what you need." Hancock said as he walked up to the door and held it open for her.

Nora took a step inside, hoping to finish the sentence she started. When she heard the door shut, she took a deep breath and faced him.

"John, about your-"

"Welcome to the Cambridge Polymer Lab! Employment opportunities await in the field of scientific research! Should we begin you application now?" said the Miss Nanny robot removing itself from the shadows. Nora was startled and didn't appreciate the interruption.

"What?" Nora said.

"Employment benefits include: competitive salary, health coverage, accidental death coverage, and two weeks paid vacation! Shall we begin?"

"Sure. I guess." Hancock said.

"Let's begin the interview! Due to an increase in demand for staff in all fields we have condensed the employment test accordingly. Question 1: Do you possess previous experience with polymer synthesis?

"Uh-" Hancock began before the Miss Nanny interrupted him.

"Calculating test results… I am pleased to offer you the position of Janitor." The robot handed a janitor's jumpsuit to Hancock and Nora couldn't help but laugh.

"That's not funny." Hancock said. "I think my experience as mayor makes me qualified-"

"Miss, may we begin your application process?" Miss Nanny asked.

"Sure." Nora said.

"Let's begin the interview! Due to an increase in demand for staff in all fields we have condensed the employment test accordingly. Question 1: Do you possess previous experience with polymer synthesis?"

"Absolutely." Nora said.

"Calculating test results… I am pleased to offer you the position of researcher." The Miss Nanny, or Molly, as her nameplate said, handed her a lab coat and a clipboard.

"Would you both like your orientation before beginning your work in the labs?" the handy asked.

"Uh –" they both said in unison.

They followed Molly into what must have been an old conference room.

"Please find an open seat. And please save all questions until after the tour of the facility."

Molly proceeded to hover next to a broken projector as she talked about the company and it's achievements. Hancock looked at Nora and they both whispered to one another.

"I hope they have a decent pension plan here." Nora said.

"What the hell is a pension?" Hancock asked. Nora laughed again, in fact she laughed so hard she insulted Molly.

"Please follow me to the research lab so that you may begin your work. Complimentary beverages are provided for employees. And please label any food or cigarettes you may leave in the break room. Molly said. "This way."

Hancock and Nora followed the bot down a couple hallways; surprised that no one had broken into this place and stripped it yet.

"Now if you'll both get dressed." She said as they stood in the middle of a room that contained several lockers all bent or broken. Hancock and Nora looked at each other.

"How bad do we want to do this?" Nora asked.

"Well. How often to I get to be a janitor?" he asked. "And you a sexy lab assistant. Maybe we can have secret sex in my supply room while we hide our torrid love affair from coworkers?"

"That does sound like fun…" Nora said with a genuine smile, this whole thing was pretty funny. She slipped the lab coat over her shoulders, having to remove most of her armor. Hancock looked ridiculous dressed in the jumpsuit, but it only made Nora laugh even more, and he liked seeing her laugh.

"What we lookin' for anyhow?" he asked.

"Aluminum, Steel, large quantities of the stuff." Nora said.

"This way!" Molly said while leading them down another hallway. "Welcome to the clean room!" she said. "The rest of the research staff will greet you on the other side of the clean room. Thank you for your attention, and welcome to the team!"

A large metallic door opened before them.

"Please enter the clean room." Molly said.

Hancock and Nora entered the next room looking around, almost expecting to see other people in lab coats. Nora shrugged her shoulders.

"So think it'll be in the labs?" Hancock asked.

"Has to be." Nora said.

Nora looked back at Molly, thinking that the tour was over and she could ask her questions now. Just as Nora was about to speak, she watched as the door shut behind them. She heard the distinct clicking of a lock. They both looked at each other slightly worried.

"I have been instructed to inform you that Director Elwood as issued mandatory overtime due to uncompleted milestones…"

Then Nora felt it. The room had flooded with radiation.

She had never felt rads so abrasive before. This was more radiation than she had ever encountered.

It reminded her of when she went to the beach as a little girl. She had swum too far from shore and the waves started to crash against her, over and over again, until she became trapped underneath the water where she couldn't breathe.

She instantly became weak in the knees falling to the floor, wave after wave of rads hitting her. Hancock turned around just in time to catch Nora before her head hit the ground. Nora found it funny that she could breathe just fine, yet every cell in her body felt like it was on fire. ' _This feels worse than drowning_ ', she thought. _Being able to breathe, but your body still dying._

Hancock watched the expression of pain play across Nora's face. He knew what she was feeling.

"…Consequently, staff will not be allowed to leave the labs until the piezonucleic lining project has been complete…

Nora could taste metal in her mouth and her vision became blurry. Her eyes were burning. She could see Hancock was no longer beside her, but she could hear him banging on the metal door.

"OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!" Hancock yelled. "TURN THIS OFF!"

"…Please report to the project lead for your specific research assignment. Starting decontamination sequence." Molly finished.

Hancock felt the rads subside, not all of them, but most of them. He knelt next to Nora, he was terrified at what he saw.

"Where's your radaway?" he asked her, "Rad-X?"

Nora couldn't speak. Her tongue could taste blood, she just shook her head. She had left them with her armor, her armor with lead lining.

Nora's eyes were so bloodshot they were entirely red. Her nose was bleeding, her ears were bleeding. She was dying, and he had to do something.

"Hey, look, look at me." He said cupping her cheek with his hand. "I need to find something to help you. Try not to move. Okay? I'll be right back."

Nora took his hand and held it tightly. She didn't want him to go. She was afraid. She had so much to tell him. She felt him kiss her forehead and then he was gone.

"Jhhh." Was all that came out of her mouth.

She tried again.

"Jh-Johhhn." She said.

She closed her eyes and cried.

"Fuck." Was mumbled under Hancock's breath more than once. That fucking robot wouldn't open the door, and when he got out, he was going to fucking disassemble it and lock its arms on the other side of this door. He readied his shot gun and said fuck several more times when he saw all the Ghouls lying on the floor. So, he grabbed a handful of Bufftats and swallowed them before he took action.

Strategically, he placed the grenade he had found earlier and pulled the pin just as he started banging on the wall to his right, Hancock then retreated away from the grenade. The Ferals rose from their slumber and ran towards him, several of them colliding into each other over the grenade. Creating one messy explosion.

The others that came running at the sound where slain by Hancock's shotgun. He aimed for their eyes, severing their head from their spinal chord completely. While fighting them off he kept his eyes open for anything that could help Nora.

"Next one better kill me!" he yelled at the ferals. Two more ran at him, he killed them with such finesse that Nora would have high-fived him if she had been at his side.

He ran up the stairs to find another Feral jump out at him. Hancock tumbled down the stairs with the ghoul. He knew he'd broken a rib or two as the feral landed on top of him. He rolled out from under it and put a shell in it's back. The chems were keeping the pain at bay, but he could still feel it. Hancock managed to run back up the stairs, he started to rummage through desks. He found clipboards, pens, paper, all this was shit.

Then he saw it. Sitting on the very top of a bookshelf was a hazmat suit. Hancock grabbed it and as he came to the bottom of the steps he noticed a stimpak lying on the ground next to a feral. He picked it up and ran back to Nora.

Hancock knelt at her side. She had been crying, her tears were a mixture of blood and water, streaming down her face. She seemed unresponsive to his touch. He took the stimpak and injected it into her arm, hoping it would give her body just a little extra push to hang on and not turn feral.

Then her eyes opened as the adrenaline coursed through her. She looked so terrified. John began slipping the bottom half of the suit on her, he threw her lab coat across the room and he zipped her into the torso.

"I'm going to get us out of here, okay?" He told her.

"J-j-john..." her voice wavered, she couldn't even see his face her eyes wouldn't let her.

Hancock looked at his terrified girl, and it tore him to pieces, he didn't want this for her, this sickening pain was something he didn't wish on anyone. So he decided to tell her how he felt, maybe it could ease her pain.

"Nora, I love you." He said.

He watched as her eyes shut tightly and the tears came again. There was a pained smile on her face.

"I've got to put this helmet on you. It'll keep you safe." he said as he placed one last kiss on her forehead before he locked the helmet into place. Hancock hated hiding her behind a helmet, but it would help her, it would buy her time. Now the only thing he could see was the reflective surface of the visor. He left her once more to figure out how to get out of this fucking place.

Nora's last memory was of the wave crashing down upon her. The water choking her, burning her lungs. Then she could hear Hancock's words _, I love you_. How she wished she could have said them back.


	10. A Serum

Hancock heard the sensors decompress and the door unlock. He quickly held his gun at the ready, the Nanny Robot was following security settings, and now he was the threat. With two quick bursts his shotgun shells had tore off two if it's arms, he picked up the unconscious Nora and side stepped Molly before hitting a button to shut the door with her behind it. He allowed himself to take in one deep breath before picking Nora back up. He felt his ribs compress, and felt pain. The bufftats were wearing off.

His next move was to find Nora's things. He quickly found a bottle of Rad-X, and Hancock removed Nora's helmet and suffered at the sight of her. She was pale, breathing, but unconscious. There was no way he was going to get these pills down her throat without choking her. And there was no Radaway to be found. He gave her one more quick kiss and replaced her helmet.

Once she was in his arms again, he realized she was heavy with the hazmat suit. He wouldn't be able to carry anything else while he had her in his arms. But he'd be damned if he was going to waste anymore time. He knew Goodneighbor wasn't exactly close, but if he could make it, he knew Amari could do something to save her life.

Then he remembered that Nora had been through this once with him, and she had managed to save his life, now it was his turn to do the same.

He stepped outside the double doors, dusk was falling, and soon it would be dark, he would have to remember all the safe alleyways he could if he wanted the both of them to make it back alive. He was just passing the old CIT Ruins when he heard it.

"Are you in need of assistance?" he heard the synth say. The synth's false and one tone voice was unsettling to him.

Hancock struggled to hold his shotgun up and keep Nora in his arms. He stared back at two 2nd Gen Synths.

"Stay away, I don't want any trouble." Hancock said.

"Scanning." The second synth said. "Identity confirmed."

Hancock waited for the synth to target him, this would be the second time a robot had tried to kill them today.

"How can we be of assistance?" one of them asked stepping towards him, reaching out towards Nora.

"Stay the fuck away from her." Hancock said.

They both stopped at preceded to wait.

"How can we be of assistance?" They asked again.

"I just need to get back home, and you're in my way." Hancock told them.

"We may escort you." One synth said. "Mother's health is paramount to us."

"The fuck you-" Hancock began, and then he saw the dark Rad Storm making its way toward them. If she sucked down any more rads she wouldn't have a chance. He looked at the synths and then back at Nora.

"Can you cover me?" Hancock asked them.

Their faces held no expression as they nodded at his request. One of them took the lead, while the other held his back, and as quickly as they could they made their way to Goodneighbor.

* * *

Well into the night, Hancock finally saw the glowing neon that told him he was home. Hancock left the two synths at the mercy of a group of mutants that had been bothering Goodneighbor for quite some time. They had been a great help to him, and he found it shocking that they were so cooperative. He'd never found 1st or 2nd generations to be cooperative in the commonwealth, but he was grateful and their timing couldn't have been more perfect. They had managed to stay ahead of the Rad Storm, up until they arrived at Goodneighbor, nothing was prettier than a Rad Storm at night, but right now, he didn't have any time to enjoy it.

He didn't look back at their laser rifles as they fired into the occupied mutant base. He ran through the door to Goodneighbor and fell to his knees. Daisy was the first to see him, and both she and Kleo came to his aid. Hancock was tired and beaten from the haste of his trip back. His ribs were screaming, it had been so long since he'd felt pain. His chems had always comforted him, but today they were the furthest thing from his mind. Kleo went to wake Amari, while Daisy helped him get Nora inside the Old State House.

They stripped her from the hazmat suit and both Hancock and Daisy knew that she didn't look well. The whining that came from Riot almost broke his heart. The pup sniffed her arm and cried over her master in the only way that she could.

Dogmeat on the other hand, was almost inconsolable. Hancock tried to settle his nerves, but he only howled and barked. Dogmeat started to tear apart Nora's belongings, and Hancock couldn't do anything to console him. Then Dogmeat brought him something he didn't expect. A small black zipped case. Hancock took it from his jaw and opened the small case to find three small vials of a green liquid. He had never seen before.

Amari arrived just had he had pulled one from the vials from it's case.

"What's that?" Amari asked. "What's going on?"

"Nora got hit with rads, bad. Can you help her?" Daisy asked Amari.

Dr. Amari was silent, she said nothing as she looked over the unconscious girl. Dogmeat barked at Hancock.

"Do you know what that is?" Daisy asked Amari, referring to the chem in Hancock's hand.

"No. I've never seen it." Amari told them.

Amari took some Radaway out of her bag and funneled a needle into Nora's arm while Dogmeat continued to bark.

"She's not healthy, we can only give her fluids and hope at this point." Amari said. "I'm not sure what else I can do."

"You can't do anything else?!" Hancock asked her, the irritation in his voice prevalent.

"I can bring you more Radaway, but there's nothing else to rid the radiation from her body, and she's clearly had a lot. She'll be lucky if turns into a Ghoul." Amari said. "But this girl's on deaths door."

Hancock's fists slammed against the nearest table. The dogs barked at him.

"Do you atleast have a guess at what this is?" Hancock asked Amari, hoping she would recognize the serum.

"No. I don't. It look's dangerous to me, why don't you try it on yourself first." Amari told him. "You've had every chem made in the commonwealth. What harm could it do to you."

"You have a problem or something, Amari?" Hancock asked, clearly understanding a tone coming from Amari's voice.

"It's the middle of the night, and I've done all I can. I don't know what else to tell you. She might die tonight." Amari said.

"SO HELP HER!" Hancock said.

Daisy put her hand on Hancock's arm; the heated conversation between the two was not something either of them needed.

"Amari, you go. If we need you we'll send for you." Daisy said, "Hancock, let's make this girl comfortable."

Amari turned and excused herself. Hancock watched as Daisy fluffed the soft pillows behind Nora's head. _'She might die tonight.'_ He'd be damned if he was just supposed to _'make her comfortable.'_ And wait for her to die.

He looked back at the pouch in his hand. He removed the first vial, a retractor revealed a hidden needle, and then the syringe was in his arm before he could think about it any more.

"What are you doing?!" Daisy asked him.

Hancock stood there as he felt the liquid course through his veins. It didn't feel bad, in fact it sort of tickled. He wasn't high, or growing ill, perhaps the serum had medicinal qualities after all, and he didn't dare question the intelligence of Dogmeat. That dog understood more than he did sometimes.

"Amari's right. Might as well test it first. If it kills me, don't give it to her." Hancock said as he sat down in his chair beside the bed. "Now we just have to wait."

"Wait for you to grow a second head, kill over, get high as a kite. This should be good." Daisy said as she shook her head and sat at Nora's feet.

After an hour, Hancock felt only better than usual, in fact he felt really good. He couldn't see any reason _not_ to give it to Nora, as Dogmeat had only whined at him and at the serum for the last hour.

"This supposed to work?" Hancock asked the dog.

Dogmeat let out a loud bark, and what looked like a nod. Hancock shrugged his shoulders and looked at Daisy.

"Well, if she's going to die, it can only help her. It can't hurt her at this point." Daisy said.

Daisy and Hancock both agreed to give her the serum, to which Dogmeat only seemed to be happy about. He pulled the needle from her arm, placing the empty vial back into the pouch, only one more dose left.

"Daisy, you can go." Hancock said. "I'll keep an eye on her."

"I don't think that's such a good-" Daisy began.

"No, just go." Hancock told her again.

Daisy nodded, "I'll bring you a drink and some food in the morning."

Daisy opened the door to leave and Fahrenheit walked in. "What the hell is going on?"

Daisy looked at Fahrenheit and shook her head. Fahrenheit didn't much care for Daisy's warning.

"Boss?" Fahrenheit asked.

"Go away F." Hancock said.

Fahrenheit stood there for a moment, unamused that Hancock was asking her to leave. She stomped out of the room. Hancock sat back and watched Nora take in breath after breath. She was alive, she had made it, and he had saved her life.

Dogmeat placed his head in Hancock's lap, he pet the saddened pup and consoled him, "She'll be alright."

As Hancock reached to pet Riot, he felt the pain in his ribs once again. He took a stimpak off the shelf and removed his shirt. He injected the stimpak into his side and gave himself some relief. Then he noticed the way his flesh felt, the way it was sluffing off in white flakes as new skin grew underneath. He'd never had a reaction like this before, and he hoped it wasn't a negative side effect of the strange mystery serum. He looked at Nora, no skin was flaking off of her, but her color did look better. She didn't seem to be as pale, but there was still blood dripping from her nose.

Hancock pulled open her eyes lids and saw a slight darkening to the whites of her eyes. If she didn't die, becoming a Ghoul was a very large possibility. Hancock didn't wish that on her, he had joked about finding a way to make her a Ghoul before, sure, but he'd _never_ meant it. He didn't wish this on anyone. On the other hand, it would mean Nora wouldn't have to leave him for a very, very long time.

* * *

The next day brought some unusual happenings for both Hancock and Nora.

Nora's health had seemed stable through out the day, but when night came again, she started to decline again. The rads were now showing damage all over; even slight scarring had begun to occur in small patches on her body.

Hancock had thrown a pot of hot coffee at the wall and broken a jet inhaler in his hand when Nora's body had started to scar. Fahrenheit rolled her eyes, unhappy that her boss had paid her, and the city no attention since his return. His attachment to this girl was unlike any she'd ever seen Hancock have. She didn't know if this was for show, or if he actually cared for in some other way than just fucking. Fahrenheit retreated to the Third Rail, offering no attempt to console him.

Daisy had tried to calm him down, but his hands shook and he trembled at the sight of Nora. He couldn't watch someone he loved waste away and die. She had done so well all day long, but as soon as the moon rose, her health had dipped.

Nora was shaking and sweating. She was struggling and Hancock hated seeing this.

He took the last vial of the strange serum and injected the liquid into her body, this time he combined it with a small amount of Med-X hoping it would help her body heal, maybe it would give her the edge she needed. Amari had been little help, and a big disappointment to Hancock. Amari didn't seem to care about Nora's well being at all.

He took a damp cloth and wiped away the new trails of blood that had come from her nose. Then he stood up and shook away his rage when he saw the saddened face of her Nora's two dogs. Daisy took his hand, and gasped when she saw him. Daisy's hand reached up to touch his face, completely in awe.

"What?" he asked her.

"Go look." Was all she said.

Hancock found a fragment of an old broken mirror and looked at himself. He had the same old scarred face, baldhead, but blue eyes. His black pools had disappeared and a pair of old familiar eyes stared back at him.

"What the fuck." Hancock said.

"It must be…" Daisy said. "Look!"

Hancock turned around and saw Nora, her skin was pink again, the scars that had started to form were flaky and white with new baby smooth skin underneath.

Hancock unbuttoned his shirt to find that his ribs were heavily bruised, but all over his midsection there were patches of soft smooth skin.

"Oh my God." Daisy said. "Guess we know how long this stuff takes to work."

* * *

Nora awoke in the State House to a whining Dogmeat and Riot at her side. She still felt weak, but not ill. She had a bag of Radaway in her arm, the needle causing her skin to itch. She pulled the needle free from her arm and watched at the blood began to run towards her palm. She tried to sit up and found it to be the most difficult thing she had ever done.

"Whoa!" she heard Fahrenheit say. "Don't fuckin' move, lemme get the boss."

Nora heard her footsteps leave and she tried to take a look at her surroundings. Her vision was foggy, it focused like a tunnel, at the end she could see the familiar walls she had grown to love, and the dogs that were still loyal at her side.

"John…" she said weakly.

There was no John. Nora was alone, and she took a moment to let her eyes focus on her self. Her skin was pale but clean, her hair felt soft, and her skin felt smooth. Except for a small patch on her chest right above her heart, it was scarred and rough, just like Hancock's.

She could hear Hancock; she could hear the man that had said he loved her.

She remembered the Polymer Lab, the radiation that had overtaken her, and the care and protection she had received from her lover. She felt his hand snake up her arm, as she embraced the new and welcome warmth.

"Nora." She heard him whisper. "What've you done here?"

She heard the doors shut, and looked into those eyes she loved so much. Except, they weren't what she expected. She pulled away from him quickly. Unsure whether or not this was even Hancock.

A pair of very pale blue eyes stared back at her.

"Nora?" he said again. "You here, Nora?" he was relieved to see color in her flesh, she was no longer bleeding, he had wiped her face clean hours ago and there was no new lines of blood on her face. Her eyes were clear, and no longer red.

She gave him a questioning look, "Hancock?"

"Hey, love." He said. A smile spread across his face, "let me have you arm." Hancock took her arm and dabbed away the blood on her arm. He pressed a bit of cloth into the crook of her elbow and placed her arm to her chest.

Nora touched his face with her other hand. She was amazed, and still not completely convinced that this was even Hancock, the Mayor of Goodneighbor.

Nora smiled at him and kept staring into his eyes. "Your… your eyes," Nora said. "They are… so blue."

"Yeah, it seems those chems of yours had all sorts of abilities." Hancock said as he pulled the black pouch from the night table, "What were these?"

Nora had to tear her eyes away from Hancock's blue pools, she'd never seen anything so pretty, she managed to look at the vials in his hands and recognized them immediately. She had managed to sneak away three vials from Jack Cabot, and they were saved for just such an emergency.

"Cabot's serum." Nora said. "It's sort of the Holy Grail for anti-rads."

"That explains a lot." Hancock said, "Look." Hancock lifted his shirt and showed off his patches of smooth skin. The serum not only reversed someone's age, but scars, _his_ scars.

Most of his upper body was still the same, but there were these fair skinned patched of smooth skin across his stomach that trailed below the hem of his pants.

"I couldn't very well give it to you if I didn't know what it was, so I tried it first, and uh, this happened the next day." He said.

Nora's hands lifted to his flesh, feeling what must have been bits and pieces of the old Hancock.

"Did it hurt?" she asked him.

"Not at all." Hancock said. "How're you feeling?"

"I feel – fine." She said, "A little sore, somewhat tired."

He ran his fingers through her hair, one hand scarred, the other soft and pink.

"You saved my life." Nora said.

"And you saved mine." He told her. Hancock's fingers slipped down her neck and rested on the scarred skin on her chest. "Almost lost you though."

Nora looked down; realizing the skin on her chest matched Hancock's. It was the scarred skin of a Ghoul.

"You've been out for days," he told her. "Daisy and I knew… if we didn't-"

"I'd become a Ghoul." She said.

"Let me get you something-" he started to say, but Nora was kissing him. Her hands pulled his face to hers and he loved that she didn't want to let go. He crawled over her until he was hovering over her small body.

He pulled away for a moment to say, "You must be hungry…"

"… Starving." Was her only reply as she pulled his face back to her own. She kissed him, like he was her first meal in weeks. He had become everything she could have hoped for in this post-war life. Moving on hadn't been easy. But this was easy, _here with him_ , touching him, kissing him, loving him.

Yes she loved him too. But she waited to say it.

She waited until both their shirts had come off, and their fingers were done caressing one another's strangely patched skin. She waited until his hands had fistfuls of her hair, and his lips were kissing their way down her neck. The shiver she felt when his teeth grazed her collarbone was colder than any December wind she'd ever felt. The only time he left her was when he stood up to slip out of his pants, leaving them in a heap on the floor, showing her the rest of his oddly patched skin.

The baby pink skin absorbed most of his lower torso, and stretched to his knees and down the back of one of his legs. Other changes included one soft hand, his palm free of any calluses or scars; except for his ring and pinky finger which both still held a Ghoulish complexion. Nora hadn't noticed many of the changes because she was still perplexed by the sight of his unusual large cock. The unusual part wasn't the size, _that she was used to_ , it was the hue of healthy flesh that stood erect, staring at her with one eye.

He climbed back on top of her, and Nora reach out to touch him, the smooth shaft she held in her hand excited her _, though_ she thought she might miss the regular texture of him. His scarring had always felt so good inside her; every movement gave her sensations of textured pleasure.

But then, there he was, _inside of her_ , filling her perhaps more than he had done before – she cried out in the sweet way that he liked when he buried himself deep. And then there she was, looking back into his eyes. Without losing her gaze he began to move in and out of her, it made him happy when her cheeks became flush with color, showing him that she was as healthy as ever.

The whimpering that came from her mouth made his cock twitch and sent him into a faster pace. She had spread her legs wide apart, resting her ankles on his ass. He rested his hand over her breast, his fingertips touching the small scar she had obtained from radiation.

She waited until between each of her bated breaths she could say "I. Love. You. John."

Her words hit his ears and produced an outcome he did not expect - with no warning he came inside her like it was his first time he'd ever being with a woman. At first he wished he hadn't been so stunned to finish before her, but he could feel her around him, so tight, her insides shaking against him. They had met in ecstasy at the same time.

 _Her words_ , the way she had said it, it was the most erotic thing he'd ever heard, _and he knew how to talk dirty._

They both looked at each other the feeling inside them was the most incredible feeling either of them had ever experienced. He spent several more minutes inside her, her hands holding his face, their eyes never losing each other's gaze. "I love you." He said softly in a low grainy voice that made Nora quiver once again. He smiled at her, and she smiled at him.

He slipped out of her and left their bed for only a moment to bring her a can of purified water, "I can only heal you in so many ways…" He said. "…others required food, and water."

Together that sat in bed, Nora drinking water, Hancock with his cold beer, and the two of them sharing a box of Fancy Lads Snack Cakes. Their naked bodies were always touching one another in some way, and when the sun came up Hancock realized his face hurt from smiling. Nora was asleep once more, and Hancock quickly joined her finally feeling like he had everything in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting chapters quickly to get it caught up with new material.


	11. A Long Lie

Nora woke up and snuggled next to Hancock's chest. He was warm, and the first few weeks of February were not kind to them. The only heat sources they had were each other – Nora often tried to steal Hancock's red coat to keep her warm about the State House. But usually they ended up wrestling for it, and Nora usually lost. Hancock took any excuse he could to have his way with her.

The last two months had been spent in the arms of one another, and their love only benefited those around them. The warehouses were finished, and Nora had spent hours building beds and tables, and Hancock did his best not to bend her over them. Out of Goodneighbor's three warehouses: one was half full with permanent residents, and the sales from Daisy and the Third Rail were never better. Hancock had caught up with work, and often enjoyed his time with Nora and the dogs, rather than the Third Rail.

Hancock's chem usage was low, usually preferring to stick to beer or whiskey. Nora favored neither these days, her stomach was often picky, and because of the after of effects of her radiation poisoning, she hadn't yet again acquired the taste for liquor. But Hancock didn't complain, they were each other's choice of drug.

Hancock had fallen deeper and deeper in love after Nora's life had nearly escaped him. He still became dizzy when she would swoon into his grip, press herself against him, and kiss him in broad daylight in front of anyone.

Nora had become accustomed to the idea that she would never leave Hancock's side. Sure, they would age differently, but they could address that later – for now, they were too wrapped up in one another to care. The citizens had come to enjoy Nora, they thought she had been good for their mayor. As much as they missed him at the Third Rail, it was a nice change to have him out and about in the early morning, rather than the late afternoon.

"Hey sunshine, it's time to wake up." He whispered in her ear, and she only became more reclusive into the crook of his shoulder.

His hand was touching her waist, pinching it ever so slightly, just enough to get her to open her eyes.

"N-Nnnn." Was the sound that came out from under his shoulder.

"You'd sleep all day if I let you." Hancock said.

"I think you'll let me…" Nora said as she reached her hand down to grab Hancock's morning erection.

Without fail, the man's libido was incredible; every morning there was some sort of blood flow to her second favorite companion. In fact, Nora was convinced that when he woke her up every morning, it wasn't because of pressing duties, but for this very reason.

Most of the time she would lay flat on her stomach while he took her from behind, sometimes she would roll over and he would press his chest against hers. Sex had quickly become their favorite past time during the winter months because it kept them both very, very warm.

Hancock finished inside her after Nora finished unusually quickly.

"Oh love, you scrap like you were born for it. I don't know if I'll be able to get anything done today. Especially if you're in here… naked, sleeping all... vulnerable." He said as he placed a kiss on her neck.

"You can stop by anytime." Nora said with a smile. "I'd welcome you with open legs."

Hancock all but growled in her ear. "I'd like that."

Nora teased him by sticking her bare ass in the air while tried to get dressed. Hancock put both boots on the wrong feet because he was too busy looking at her round smooth-skin ass as it begged him to grab it. He quickly fixed his boots and have her ass a nice smack, but he couldn't help but kiss the handprint he had made just before he walked out of the room.

The rest of Hancock's day was uneventful, he was hoping more people would have found Goodneighbor by now, and settled in. But it seemed the warehouses would have to fill slowly. Hancock made his way to Daisy and bought several packages of Sugar Bombs for Nora. It seemed they had both had a sweet tooth lately and eaten everything with sugar they could find. Hancock also bought a couple Mutfruits because they were Nora's favorite.

Later, when Hancock returned for his afternoon coitus, a very concerned Dogmeat met Hancock at the entrance of the Old State House.

"What boy?" he asked.

Dogmeat whined. Hancock made his way up the stairs to find a concerned Riot at Nora's side. Nora was hunched over the floor, on her hands and knees.

"Nora?" Hancock exclaimed as he dropped to her side and held her. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine." Nora said, waving him away, "Just stood up too fast, fainted for a moment."

"Nora, are you sure you're okay?" he asked her as he helped her up from the floor.

"Now that you mention it, I think I'm feelin' that rad storm from the other night. Did another one come by today while I was sleeping?" she asked.

"No, just that one from a few nights ago, you think it's rads?" Hancock asked.

"Yeah, definitely." Nora said as she touched her small patch of scarred skin.

"I'll go talk to Amari, and get you some Radaway. You'll be right as rain." Hancock told her. "In the meantime, I did pick you up a few treats." Hancock pulled the Mutfruit from his pocket.

Nora looked at it and shook her head.

"They're your fav-"

"No, that doesn't sound good to me right now." Nora said.

"Sugar Bombs?" he asked taking the package out of his coat pocket.

Nora smiled at nearly took his fingers off as she grabbed the package of Sugar Bombs.

"I think I had a dream about these last night." Nora said. "How did you know?"

"Are you… sure you're okay?" Hancock asked as he cupped the side of her face.

Nora nodded. "Don't let Dogmeat concern you, he's always been a bit dramatic."

"Hey that dog saved your life." Hancock added. "I'll go see Amari, you sit tight. Save me some of those Bombs."

* * *

Hancock stepped into the Memory Den, there was Irma, and she always greeted her favorite Mayor with a smiling face.

"Welcome back Mayor! Are we reliving any memories today? Perhaps your old favorite? Or have you made some _new_ favorites?" Irma asked.

"Perhaps another day, Irma." Hancock said. "I'm just here for the Doc."

"Oh, it's you." Amari said, looking up from her terminal in the back of the room.

"What's the matter Amari? Haven't cooked anyone's gourd in a while?" Hancock asked.

Her look was stern, she did not laugh at his joke. Amari turned away from him and headed toward her lab. Hancock followed.

"What can I do for you Mayor?" she asked.

"Just looking for some anti-rads." Hancock said as he followed her down to the basement of the Memory Den.

"I'm assuming it's for Nora?" she asked.

"Yes, she still gets ill around radstorms, is that normal?" Hancock asked.

"Nothing about Nora is normal, Mayor."

"What do you mean, Amari?" he asked.

"You don't think it's strange that she just happened to have a serum to keep her from turning Ghoul? Or that the same chem altered your body so drastically? It's never even been heard of before – I wouldn't trust where she got it – probably from the Institute, I would never be stupid enough to take anything those people ever made." Amari said.

"You should mind your manners, Amari. You're addressing your Mayor." He said.

"I'm not the one in bed with the Institute. Maybe you should show more respect to your citizens." She chirped back. "Oh please, you're the one in bed with the girl…" Amari paused; she read the look on Hancock's face. "You really don't know, do you?"

"What are you getting at?" Hancock asked.

"Over a year ago, Nick Valentine and that girl of yours came to me with a very valuable piece of Institute technology. She needed my expertise, and I gave it to her."

"So what, Amari?"

"I'm just saying it's rather suspicious that she goes off into the Glowing Sea to find an ex-employee of the Institute, looking for a way inside. Here we are, a year later, and the Institutes enemies are dead, and synths roam the Commonwealth undisputed."

Hancock slammed his fists down on the table, a surgical tray flew off the table from the force.

"I really don't like what you're insinuating, Amari."

"Ask her yourself." Amari said as she threw a bag of RadAway on the table.

Hancock picked up the pack and walked out of the basement, feeling quite angry. He wasn't sure if he was actually angry with Dr. Amari, or angry at the potential truth he faced.

If Nora had known something so great about the Institute, why had she never brought it up before?

Then it hit him, the Synths. They must have been so cooperative because they had known her, _and him_. The Institute had sunk its teeth into Goodneighbor without him even knowing it. How many synths were really in Goodneighbor? Was Nora a synth? Could she have been lying about her family, or maybe they were programmed memories. Perhaps this had all been a lie.

_Did that mean she didn't love him?_

Had this just been the Institutes plan to infiltrate his town, control his people, _even control him?_

If that was their intent, Nora did a pretty good job of getting whatever she needed from him, he had been convinced so well he would have done anything for her, and he supposed that is all the Institute really wanted.

He had to force himself to think that Amari could be crazy and Nora could have nothing to do with the Institute. Nora loved him, and she wanted to be here. He kept repeating that in his head as he walked back into the Old State house.

* * *

Nora was sitting on the edge of the bed looking a bit pale. Hancock must've looked slightly pale as well because she asked him first.

"What's wrong, John?" she said with a smile. He couldn't help but wonder if that was what a synth would do.

"Nothing – I uh – Just had a thought… would you know why we were helped by two Synths outside the CIT ruins?" Hancock asked. "When you were sick, and I carried you back here, and two synths offered to help me."

"You never told me how you got back..." Nora began.

"That's besides the point, Nora, do you know why they helped me?" Hancock asked.

Nora stood there for a moment contemplating what her next move would be, she didn't want to lie to him, but she did not want to tell him the truth, she was afraid he would never look at her the same.

But she sensed it might be too late for that.

"I – I don't know why they helped you… helped us, I mean."

"Then why did they refer to you as Mother? That's sort of a funny nickname."

_This was it._

Nora knew that she had to get everything out if she cared about Hancock. The truth may not be pretty, but she had to try and make it right, even if the time had to be now. Nora took in a deep breath, she had avoided this, and now it was going to hurt her, and hurt him.

"Because I technically carry the title of Director. Director of the Institute." Nora said. She made sure the look of shame was evident on her face.

Her answer sounded worse than it was. Hancock realized everything he had assumed earlier, must be correct, this was all one big operation that the Institute concocted.

"Now let me explain…" Nora added.

"So back in Sanctuary, everything Garvey said, the Prydwen, the Institute, all of this has to do with you." Hancock realized there had been clues all along, but he had been blinded by Nora and gone on not noticing them.

"Listen, you don't know what you're talking about – I can explain this." Nora took several steps towards him. He took two steps back.

Nora watched him recoil. She might as well have the word 'synth' tattooed on her head.

"I think I'm talking about a whole slew of lies that you've been telling me." Hancock said. "You're just one of them, this is all part of some plan. What do you people want? Goodneighbor? Me? My people?"

"No, Hancock, everything between me and you –"

"-Was just a lie? I bet you're just some synth the institute programmed to seduce me and spy on my town. We're just some kind of mark for your next big plan?!" he yelled.

Hancock was upset. Nora's face became hot; her hands were starting to shake.

"I thought we were doing some good for the damn commonwealth, but sure as shit, I was just helping the Director of the Institute." Hancock said. "I suppose you're the one that brought down that fucking blimp too."

Nora's eyebrows furrowed, he wasn't letting her explain, she wanted to remain calm and express how she really felt, she wanted him to know the whole truth, but she didn't know how she was going to get there.

"Yeah. I killed the Brotherhood. At least as many of them as I could stationed at that airport. When I went looking for my son, I crossed their path and they took me in, said they would help me. Instead, they told me to kill, or be killed. They wanted me to murder Synths, and Ghouls… people I consider friends. Nick Valentine… you, the entire town of Goodneighbor would have been on their shit list, so yeah, I brought down that fucking blimp, and I happily did so." Nora said, this time raising her voice.

Hancock took a moment to listen, almost shocked that she had been the one to bring the Prydwen down. But still afraid at what that meant for the Institute.

"But you did all that working for the Institute. You may have saved your own skin, but you helped them, they are the real monsters, Nora! Oh God, please don't tell me you had anything to do with the Railroad. Is that why Amari doesn't like you?"

Nora paused for a moment. This was where her relationship with Shaun had become difficult. She had considered many at the Railroad friends, Des, Glory, Deacon…

"Yes. I played a part in that." Nora said quietly, he head hung low.

"I'm guessing 'a part,' had to do with the _killing_ part." Hancock said with a growl, the low tone in which he spoke gave Nora chills, and not the kind she was used to.

"John…"

"Don't call me that." Hancock said. He lit a cigarette and took a very long drag from it.

Nora took in a deep breath and tried to keep the tears out of her eyes.

"I walked out of a vault after being frozen for more than two-hundred years," Nora began, "My husband was shot in front of me, and my son stolen in front of my eyes… _while I was useless._ When I finally woke up I tore apart the Commonwealth, not caring who I hurt along the way because all I cared about was my baby boy."

"And the Institute helped you." Hancock said flatly. "They were probably the ones who took him."

"You're right." Nora said flatly. "I killed the Institutes mercenary, made a trip across the glowing sea, and killed a courser. Then I built a relay - the biggest fucking machine to break me into the Institute – and when I relayed into their secret location, I came heavily armed with all the ammunition and explosives I could carry. I was ready to kill every single one of them for taking my son."

"Sounds like someone got reprogrammed. If they took your son, why the hell would you kill for them, instead of just kill them?" Hancock asked,

"Because the Institute _was_ my son, Hancock. When I watched them kidnap my son, it had taken place sixty years before I even woke up. My son _was_ the current Director of the Institute. They had raised him, Shaun belonged to the Institute."

Hancock's cigarette had a thick layer of ash forming at the end. His only response to her story was another drag.

"In my feeble attempt to save any sort of a relationship with my son... I killed for them. And yes, I regret it, but I can't take that back. I was a mother dying to have her baby back in her arms, but there was no way I ever could've predicted how this would turn out."

"Anyone can see killing innocent people is wrong." Hancock said.

"But I-"

"You stepped up for them, Nora! You played their game and they rewarded you with making you their leader." Hancock said. "I'm sure your son was very proud of you."

"He died just a week after he'd made me Director. My son lived an entire life, and I knew him for a little more than two months. My son was born, and dead all in a matter of months to me. I didn't know I would lose him." Nora said, this time the tears had escaped her eyes, even though she willed them not to.

"Look Nora, I'm sorry you lost your son, but that doesn't excuse you being a part of the Institute, they kidnap people, kill people, replace them with synths! They're barbaric, they are worse than the Brotherhood ever was." Hancock said. "You made a poor choice."

"Do you have any idea what I've done for the Commonwealth? Do you know how many settlements I established as General of the Minutemen? Do you know how many of those settlements have food because of me? Turrets? Beds? Do you know how many raiders I've fought off, or super mutants, just to protect those people? I've tried to do right by the Commonwealth since I've left the Institute." Nora said.

"No one leaves the Institute," Hancock said, "you could be a synth for all I know. Everyone ever close to me is always a synth. Hell, maybe you've replaced me, and I'm a synth too." Hancock said. "That's gotta account for all that missing time…"

Nora stepped forward and slapped Hancock across the face. Hancock grabbed her wrists and they both looked into each other's eyes.

"They why don't you just crack open my head and find out?" Nora spat.

"Maybe I should." Hancock said, his grip on her wrists had become tighter.

Nora wanted to hurt him now.

"McDonough is a synth." She said. "Your brother's been a synth for years."

She watched as Hancock's face twisted into something she hadn't seen. It was either sadness, or anger, and if it was anger, she was slightly afraid.

"Oh, and Amari… she hates the Institute because she thinks we killed her husband. His quarters actually sit right below the Directors, and he married a nice girl in Advanced Systems. Last time I was there they had just had a baby. I'm sure Amari would love to hear that story... rather than think 'her husband was killed.' One might just hurt her more than the other." Nora said.

Hancock's hands snaked their way to Nora's neck, her fists grabbed onto his coat while his thumbs began to press on her windpipe.

Nora was able to say, "I haven't been there since Shaun died. I declined the position of Direct-" before his grip was tight enough that it cut off her air way.

He hated Nora in this moment. All the lies had been there, she could've told him so long ago. His own brother! She had known but had chosen to keep it from him. He had loved his brother before… before…

But he loved Nora. _He still did._

He let go of her throat and she stepped back to take a breath of air.

"You should leave." Hancock said. "Be gone in an hour, and don't ever come back to Goodneighbor."

Nora looked at him with sad eyes, she took in several more labored breaths.

"John, what happened to _'when someone needs helping?'_ " Nora asked him, tears still evident in her eyes.

"Nora, I think, _'you're someone who needs hurting.'_ " He said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lets... test this. hold tight! There are still chapters to come!


	12. The Shepherd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I am introducing several minor characters here, they haven't been involved in the story prior to this, but are necessary for the next few chapters, don't feel inclined to worry about them too much, they play a minor supporting role to Nora's story. Also… LOTS of dialogue. I hope these next couple chapters don't confuse you guys. ps. this chapter is the longest yet... And I'm caught up with FF.net, so new chapter will be posted tomorrow on both sites!

_Several weeks later… Somewhere near the end of March._

 

Nora nodded off with her back against a brick wall. She hadn't slept in days. And had a hard time leaving Goodneighbor. She had left the one place she was happy to call home.

Not only did she leave her home behind, but she left a friend behind as well. When she walked out of the Goodneighbor gates, Dogmeat had refused to follow her. He whined and whimpered looking back at the Old State house and back to her, and ultimately, Nora chose to leave him behind. She wondered if Dogmeat had taken her command to watch over Hancock as seriously as he did that night in Sanctuary, when Hancock was sick. But she didn't think they both should have to leave her home, and he was in good hands. Though, Riot was still by her side, the sweet dog was all that kept her warm at night.

Nora had spent a couple weeks in Bunker Hill, and picked up a few caps by escorting some people through the Fenz. She had spent a couple nights in Diamond City for work, but couldn't handle seeing the synths after her conversation with Hancock. She thought about returning to Sanctuary, but didn't want to deal with Garvey. And any of her settlements would likely pull her back into the Minuteman world, and she didn't want that.

So here she was, in the middle of Boston sleeping in an old building reduced to rubble. At her feet were four people, two Ghouls, two humans, all looking for a place to belong, and ironically Nora was taking them to Goodneighbor.

This had become her habit. She frequented Bunker Hill to find patrons that would fit Goodneighbor's style, and were looking for a home. Nora was now personally seeing to the Goodneighbor warehouses being filled with residents. When she wasn't escorting families to Goodneighbor, or restocking in Bunker Hill, she resided in this building here. It wasn't anything nice, the first floor barely had enough walls to keep the place standing, but it was home. If she came out on the roof it gave her a vantage point of many streets leading to Goodneighbor, and in the distance, she could always see the comforting glow of it's neon signs.

Tonight was like any other night, except Nora couldn't take a direct route to Goodneighbor. These people's safety was what Nora had promised them, so she didn't take any chances. They had to stop for the night and rest. The family had traveled from up North, and the trip for them had been long, they had been looking foreword to having a home, especially a home that was protected by men, and walls.

Nora had dozed off for a few minutes, her brain letting her think thoughts about Hancock. Her favorite memory had come to be the night they first met. The way he made her feel, the way she felt free, and the way they danced at the end of the night to her PipBoy.

She opened her eyes and took a deep breath. Her surroundings reminded her of where she was. She noticed one of her traveling companions was also awake.

"How many people have you brought here?" the male ghoul asked her. While the other three were sleeping, Nora and he took time to converse.

"I'd say maybe a dozen now." Nora answered. "It's a good home for lots of people."

"Do you call it home?" he asked her.

"I used to." She said. "Now it seems like I've got work to do."

"So you'll bring more?" he asked her.

"Until there's no more room." Nora said. "I suspect those warehouses will fill up quickly, they're safe, their a good place to call home."

"Everyone says it's got a good mayor. And a good neighborhood watch."

"The best." Nora said. "You and your family will like it there."

The sun rose and Nora fed Riot a small meal while everyone became excited to greet their new home. Nora walked them to the gates just as the sun was starting to feel warm, and from there, she departed, leaving them with small gifts of food.

* * *

Hancock watched as four newcomers entered his gates. This would make fifteen now, drifters seemed to have heard about the open space at Goodneighbor, and Hancock was pleased to offer them food and a home. His warehouses were finally getting put to good use, no longer filled with thugs, but families. He liked the way Goodneighbor had grown into a sustainable place, his people were happy, he was happy.

_At least he told himself he was happy._

Dogmeat left his side to go and sniff the newcomers. Watching Dogmeat, filling the warehouses, it all easily reminded him of Nora. The thought of her name made his stomach sink, but his heart swell.

Fahrenheit stood behind him.

"You okay boss?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said.

"That makes, what, fourteen now?" she asked.

"Fifteen." Hancock corrected her.

"At least one warehouse is full, and now we have people to start filling the second." Fahrenheit said.

"Yeah, makes me happy." Hancock said. "I'm gonna talk to Charlie, maybe have a drink. So if you need me."

Fahrenheit nodded as he walked away from her, eager to have his first drink for the day. It was so early, but he didn't care, he was cold and some Vodka would definitely make him feel a lot warmer.

* * *

Nora's walk to Bunker Hill was short. She had a letter waiting for her telling her that he next mark awaited her at Diamond City, a family of five, also wanting an escort to Goodneighbor, and the letter read urgent.

Since the letter was likely sent several days ago, she figured there was no harm in making her way to Diamond City now, hoping that she could still meet the family's urgency.

She traveled with Riot, quickly and quietly, making it to Diamond city just before dark. Nora noticed her body was tired, more tired than usual. But dedicated to her people, she quickly began looking for the Reische residence. She found it, after her first circle of the town; she hadn't noticed it because it looked abandoned.

_"_ _God, those noodles smell good," she thought._

Nora knocked on the door quietly. An older woman answered the door, leaving only a small space for them to speak.

"Who are you?!" the woman said, only opening the door slightly, just enough for them to speak through.

"I'm Nora, you sent for me?" Nora said.

"Yes… I um. Heard you were the person to ask for." The woman from behind the door said.

"At your service, ma'am." Nora said.

"You can… be discreet right?" she asked nervously.

"Of course, what're we talking here? Are you transporting a Deathclaw or something? That might be a bit difficult." Nora joked.

The woman waved her hand telling Nora to come inside. The door was quickly shut behind her and locked.

"It's my son." She said. "We've lived here for so many years… and then…"

A man came out from the shadows in the corner. He was young… at least he looked young. His skin was rotting away; he had begun his first days as a Ghoul.

"You can help us can't you?" she asked with tears in her eyes, "We just can't stay here anymore, they'll us out, we'll lose everything."

The woman draped herself around Nora in a hug. Nora returned the gesture with a strange face.

"Of course we can, Goodneighbor isn't far from here at all. I could have you there tomorrow." Nora said. "No one there will look at you differently. They'll accept you. All of you." Nora said.

"Oh thank you! Thank you!" the woman exclaimed. "I'll get the little ones ready, Ben, I'll tell your father we're leaving." The woman scuttled out of the room, leaving Nora and Ben to look at one another.

"So… you're Ben?" Nora asked.

"Yes." He said solemnly.

"What's wrong?" Nora asked.

"It's you." Ben said. "You're here to take us from our home. Because… because I look like this!"

Nora noticed he was upset, genuinely mad, and sad. Ben felt like he'd let his family down, it was his fault they had to leave their home in Diamond City. His mother was upset, and this was all his fault.

"Ben, I hope you don't blame yourself." Nora said. "This could've happened to anyone."

"But I could have prevented it." He told her. "I should have taken the rad-x my mother always gave me, I should've taken better care of myself." Ben sat down and put his hands in his face to cover his sadness.

Nora took a seat next to him. She realized how much he looked like Hancock, how much he sounded like Hancock. Ben was young and lean, and Nora hated how some Ghouls just stayed attractive. She almost didn't want to look at him because of what he reminded her of.

"Sometimes prevention isn't an option." Nora said. "Look."

Nora pulled aside the top of her shirt revealing her ghoulish scar.

"I almost became like you, it was an accident. This old building flooded with rads, there was no way I could get away. But I got very, very lucky."

"How?" Ben asked, some glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Someone I loved got me help just in time. But I still got to keep this." Nora said touching her scar. "Goodneighbor is the place that took care of me, and they'll take care of your family too. How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-two." Ben said. "Twenty-two forever."

"Ben, tell me about your siblings?" Nora asked.

"Erin is ten, Nikka is sixteen." Ben began to get choked up again, "This was their home, this is my fault."

"Ben, hush…" Nora said, "It'll be okay, your family will be okay."

Ben's mother came back inside with two young girls behind her and a man that didn't look too thrilled.

"You all want to leave now?" Nora asked them, surprised they already had suitcases in hand.

"If that's alright with you." The older man said.

"Well yes, I'm Nora. Nice to meet you everyone. And you are…"

"I'm Holly, this is Erin, she's the youngest, and Nikka, she's the middle child, and this is my husband Sam." Holly said. "We're the Reische family."

"Well, Ben, I suppose you'll want to cover up, and we'll walk out the front." Nora said. "Simplest way can be the easiest way."

"You don't think anyone will-" Holly began.

"The city is sleeping Holly, let's leave now." Nora said.

Nora lead the family out of Diamond City, and only one guard noticed them, when he recognized Nora; he went about his business and paid them no attention. Nora gave Sam and Ben small pistols and urged the family to follow her into the dark streets of Boston.

"Aren't the streets dangerous at night?" Erin asked.

"Oh sweetie, you'll be just fine." Nora told her. "Now everyone I want you to stay close, and quiet, Hopefully we won't have to meet anyone along the way."

Nora led the family away from Diamond City and through the fastest route to Goodneighbor. But they had to stop and back track because Nora remembered the reason she had to stop early the last night. Super Mutants had moved uncomfortably close to Goodneighbor, and the streets just had too many Mutant Hounds to consider one road safer than the other. Nora figured another night with strangers in her home wasn't so bad.

"Let's stay the night here." Nora said gesturing to the rubble building. "It's safe, I promise."

"We won't make it there tonight?" Sam asked her.

"We're practically there," Nora said, "but if we wait till morning, the hounds will go back to their masters, and we can walk there without worry."

Holly nodded in agreement. And they all followed Nora to her small makeshift home.

* * *

Hancock found it easy to drink glass after glass. It made him forget about a few things he would rather be doing. He ended up spending all day in the Third Rail, even Charlie was avoiding him now. The damn bot didn't even want to serve his Mayor. On the other hand, Hancock had a lot to drink, and even a few chems on the side. He was faded, and he spent the next several hours on a couch in the back of the room, drinking by himself, in the dark.

It wasn't until a dark skinned Ghoul came up to him asking him if he wanted a tour of the town. He knew his instincts had told him to say no, but he wasn't sure what his mouth had said since the woman had sat on his lap and had undone her blouse. She was kissing him, roughly. Her skin was like his, the way her face pressed against his own upset him. Nothing aroused him like Nora. So he thought of her, trying to ignore this woman's skin, picturing the way Nora's eyes looked when she wanted him, the way she looked when she was naked…

It took a moment for him to realize his cock was even in her mouth.

He cringed slightly, before he allowed himself to enjoy it. After Nora had left he was quick to return to the chems, but the sex was something he'd held off on. He wasn't sure if he was ready to go back to the quick fucks in the shadows of the VIP room. He wasn't comfortable sharing his bed with someone after Nora had called it hers for so long.

For the first few nights after she left he would wake up in the middle of the night, looking for her. Then he would remember, become angry, and have to empty a canister of Jet just to go back to sleep.

But why the fuck should he care?

He did another hit of Jet while the girl was still working on making him come. Even though he told himself to stop thinking about Nora, he still did. He couldn't help but think of the time she was on her knees, with a more skillful tongue, and a more eager mouth.

* * *

Nora was settled when everyone had gone to sleep and it was just her again. She leaned back against her usual brick wall, and was able to see the faint glow of neon lights from afar. She would build a fire and pretend the warmth she felt was actually the warmth from under those neon lights.

Nora picked at some Snack Cakes.

"Oh I wish I had remembered to bring more food." Holly said sitting up from her bedroll.

Nora offered her some treats and Holly waved them away.

"Oh it's been a while since I could have sweets," Holly said "Ate them all the time when the kids were little."

"You're very fortunate to have three of them." Nora said.

"Don't I know it." Holly said. "In this world it's a tricky business, kids. My poor Ben. I know he feels bad, but we love him and want to be with him."

"I'm sure he'd like to know that." Nora said. "He was pretty concerned back in Diamond City."

"Oh the boy will be fine." Holly said. "Sam will sell our home, and we'll be okay. It'll be hard at first."

"Here." Nora said as she handed Holly the last of her canned goods.

"No, you need these more than I do." Holly said.

"I'll be okay," Nora said, eating anther snack cake and pushing the sack back towards Holly. "Your kids need to eat."

"Well, yours does too. How far along are you?" Holly asked.

"How far am I what?" Nora asked.

"With the baby, you know… " Holly said. "I had three myself, I can always tell."

"Oh, no, no. I uh… had a baby, a while ago, but I'm not… having one now."

"Well sure you are, my dear." Holly said grabbing a hold of Nora's hand. "It shows on you. Always does, on skinny girls."

Nora touched her stomach… she was unsure. She had felt tightness in her stomach, and nausea sure, but she attributed it all to losing Hancock. Her body's stress had been evident the first week she had been alone, she would spend her time being sick. Her body was fatigued sure, but she was on her own, constantly having to fight, why wouldn't she be tired?

"I don't think so." Nora said. "I've been sick lately, but that's from losing someone. I- I've had a hard time lately." Nora said.

Holly looked at Nora with a questionable glance.

Nora thought about the sugar in her mouth, the Fancy Lad Snack Cakes that she hoarded. And then she thought of Shaun, and how Nate had to clear an entire grocery store shelf because she had a craving for sugar.

Nora put down the box, thinking that if she didn't eat them, _it couldn't be true._

"You really didn't know?" Holly asked.

"I suppose I wouldn't have wanted to know. Not now. Not while I'm out here. _Alone._ " Nora said.

"Well come back with us." Holly said.

Nora froze, Goodneighbor, going back there… she could never.

"I- I can't stay there." Nora said.

"Was it the father, was that who you lost?" Holly asked.

Nora's eyes welled up, and she nodded.

"You'll be okay." Holly added giving Nora another hug.

Nora brought the Reische Family to Goodneighbor at first light. Holly reluctantly took the rest of Nora's food; after Nora assured her that she would get more. Nora said Goodbye to Ben by giving his shoulder a good squeeze, hoping that he would feel better in the future. Learning how to be Ghoul from Hancock couldn't be any better. Ben would be a ladies man in no time.

They waved goodbye to her, Nora had liked that family, and she hoped they found a new home here.

Nora started back to her small home with Riot. Her mind spinning with what her and Holly had talked about.

Nora would have noticed something like that. She would know… wouldn't she?

The first thing she did when she made it to the second floor was strip off her armor and clothes. In her underwear she stood and inspected her body inch by inch. There were pieces of glass she used to reflect her full body. Her face was rounder, and even her stomach was evidence enough. It was hard, firm, just like she had remembered during her first few months with Shaun. She assumed that her battle with radiation had left her completely sterile, and Hancock… that was impossible, his entire body was irradiated and he had to be sterile.

Nora's eye caught the reflection of her scars. The cut on her face had healed significantly, leaving a very faint scar. But the scar on her chest was textured and ugly, like a burn. Nora knew who she had to talk to.

Nora replaced her clothes and armor and headed towards Bunker Hill. She could see the monument from where she was, but she had to make a small stop first.

Outside the Cabot house, Nora pressed the buzzer. She recognized the voice of, Edward Deegan.

"Yeah?"

"It's Nora."

"Yeah, yeah, let yourself in." he told her.

Nora let herself inside the house, watching as Jack's defenses almost seemed disappointed that they didn't get to kill anything.

Deegan met her at the bottom of the stairs.

"What do ya need, dollface?" Deegan asked her.

"Wanted to have words with Jack. It's about his serum." Nora said.

"You know he doesn't have any to spare." Deegan told her.

"I'm not asking for any." Nora said.

"He's upstairs." Deegan told her.

Nora walked upstairs, really wishing she could have some of the whiskey in the other room. But instead she went to question Jack.

"Nora, good to see you!" he said as Nora entered his laboratory. Jack looked weathered, and gray.

"Jack, you're looking _good_." Nora said with slight sarcasm in her tone.

"Yes, yes I know. Emogene, Mother, and I have had to make some sacrifices after what happened with my father." Jack said. "Please don't patronize me."

"That's actually what I wanted to ask you about." Nora said, "You gave me three vials of your serum as a gift…"

"Come to return them?" Jack asked. "We could use them."

"I actually had to use them." Nora said. "I just had a couple questions about it."

"Yes, yes, not your usual Radaway." Jack said.

"Well, it was powerful enough to cure the most radiation I'd ever had in my life." Nora said. "Kept me from looking like Deegan."

"I suppose if used promptly, yes, it could have that effect." Jack said, still tinkering with some vials on his desk. "Is that all you wanted to ask? You seemed to know-"

"No, no, it's not that." Nora said. "What could it do for fertility, in men and women?"

"Well it's the pillar of all health, I've taken it for hundreds of years to renew cell after cell. It's mean to create life, so one would assume it would only increase one's fertility."

"And the… fertility of a Ghoul?" Nora asked quickly. She almost felt as though he was discussing her sex life with a total stranger.

"I thought you didn't become a Ghoul." Jack said, this time looking up from his work, seeing that Nora was in fact, not a Ghoul.

"I'm asking for someone else. Someone who is a Ghoul, and who took the serum as well."

"Well what a waste, the serum's effects would only be temporary at best." Jack said. He looked at Nora and realized she was in fact concerned with what he had to say. "But I suppose… for a temporary amount of time, it would reverse many effects of irradiated flesh, including organs other than just skin."

"Good god." Nora said.

"No, no God here, Nora." Jack said without looking up at her.

"I've got to go, Jack. Thanks for the help." Nora said.

"Are you telling me-" Jack began. But Nora was quick to run down the stairs to avoid his question. Deegan was in the living room, pretending as though he hadn't been listening to their conversation.

Nora waved goodbye to him as she exited the house.

Nora took two steps before she bent over and threw up. Her hands were shaking, her breathing was erratic. She tried to calm herself.

_How could I let this happen? How could I be so stupid?_

"You okay kid?" she heard Deegan say from the doorway.

Nora covered her mouth, and did her best to hide her anxiety. Deegan handed her a clean rag. She wiped her face clean and offered it back to him.

"What do you need?" Deegan asked her, Nora had saved his life once, and the life of the family he protected. Deegan wanted to help her.

Nora shook her head, "I just want to go home." Was all she said.

"You got someone to look out for ya? Someone to look out for whatever it is you're about to face?" Deegan asked her.

"It's just me." Nora said. "It's always just been me."

* * *

Hancock woke up when Fahrenheit came barging into his bedroom. He used to care when Nora was around, but lately Fahrenheit had once again become accustomed to intrusions.

"Five more came today boss. That makes twenty." Fahrenheit said.

"Two down, and one to go." Hancock said. "Anyone interesting?"

"A family, two kids and one Ghoul. The kid looks like shit, like he just turned yesterday." Fahrenheit said.

"Well get 'em set up, and I'll buy him a drink later." Hancock said. "What time is it?"

"Mid-Afternoon. You've been out all morning. I even had to check and make sure that girl you took home last night didn't drug you with something. You sure you're good, boss?" Fahenheit asked again.

"Yeah, yeah. Stop asking me that."

"Just hadn't seen you take that big of a bender in a while." Fahrenheit said as she walked out of the room, leaving his bedroom doors open.

Hancock remembered everything. He had left the VIP room unsatisfied and managed to get a different girl to come home with him. This time she had smooth pale skin and brown hair cut to her shoulders. In the moonlight he could pretend she was Nora. He hated the fact that he had to do that, but after a while he realized he had the benefit of fucking Nora, without actually having to be with her. He remembered how the girl had screamed his name, and how she told him to go faster, and fuck her harder – all of which he gladly gave her.

He stood up, still naked from the night before. His hand and torso had completely regained its original Ghoulish texture, still leaving various patches on his legs. His eyes became black the day after Nora had left. He felt that in a way, it was symbolic. He had opened his eyes and let her in his life. And because it was a mistake his eyes mimicked the idea of never letting anyone in ever again. He was returning to his old self, and maybe in time, he would forget Nora altogether.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I went there. I totally opted in for the ff cliché.


	13. Good Goodneighbor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Attacks on Goodneighbor have become frequent, and Nora promises to help if they ever decide they need her, but with her condition, she may not get that chance, and her return to Goodneighbor may be unexpected.

Nora had walked to the beach. In the east; the water was clear, and had less radiation. She took off her armor and let her toes curl in the wet sand while Riot played in the water. Nora had spent a couple weeks here killing Mirelurks and avoiding anyone that wasn't Riot.

She had made an abandoned shack her temporary home as she took some time to think about what the hell she was going to do.

 _She could just tell him_ , not telling him things was what got her into trouble in the first place.

But she knew that Hancock never wanted to see her again. She had kept the truth from him, and even tried to hurt him in the end by telling him about his brother. Perhaps the excuses she told her self really didn't help the choices she made. She had lost Shaun, but Hancock had to choose between his brother, and what was right.

Nora had just made the other choice.

Nora had this conversation with herself every day. Each day she would tell herself the same thing, that telling Hancock would result in no good for either of them, he wasn't the type of guy to be a father. He had a hundred children living in Goodneighbor, each one needing him. He had his vices, he had his wants, and neither of those involved Nora. Bottom line, he didn't want her, and she wasn't going to make him tolerate her, or care for her, just because of this.

It wasn't long before she had run out of food and made her way back to Bunker Hill. Nora restocked on purified water, Snack Cakes, and fresh Brahmin meat for both her, and Riot. But before she could leave she received another message, brought by caravan.

Several more people had inquired about her services. Apparently doing the shooting for someone else was a pretty big business. But she had succumbed to her fatigue lately, allowing herself to just grow a child. But if she didn't work, she knew she would go crazy, and she craved being close to Goodneighbor again, so she decided to take the job.

With her bump hidden underneath her armor, she managed to escort four more people from Diamond City to Goodneighbor, From there, she took Sam Reische back to Diamond City to sell their home, and then returned him back to his new home in Goodneighbor.

At the gates, Sam stopped her, and thanked her for helping them find their new life. Nora accepted his thanks but had to refuse his offer to visit them for dinner.

"I've got more people to escort," Nora said. "I've gotta find you some neighbors."

"Make sure their good ones," Sam called out to her as Nora walked away. She waved and allowed herself to smile.

Nora was back to Bunker Hill by nightfall, and to her surprise there were already people waiting for her to take them back to Goodneighbor.

By the end of the week she had already brought a number of new residents to Goodneighbor, and by her count, the warehouses had to be full.

* * *

**[May]**

"Mom, what are you doing?" Ben asked his mother.

"Knitting." Holly replied

"Yeah, but that sweater wouldn't fit any of us." Ben told her.

"Well it's not for you, now is it?" Holly said as she widened her eyes, telling Ben to mind his own business.

Holly had lit a fire and made a stew for her family. It was a normal day… until they all heard the gunshots.

Holly grabbed the girls and hid them upstairs while Sam and Ben grabbed the only weapons they had. When they exited their home, there was the Neighborhood watch, making a stand, shooting at what looked to be Raiders or Gunners. Ben didn't know which.

He watched as the attackers shot one of the ghouls who worked for Goodneighbor. Ben aimed his gun at the killer, but couldn't pull the trigger; ultimately it was his father who shot the Raider that was coming for them. Ben had been too scared.

They took cover behind a wall, and Ben watched as the Mayor's dog jumped and latched onto a man's throat, tearing out pieces of flesh while the man bled to death. Then there was Mayor Hancock himself, the man's shotgun tore through Raiders like they were pieces of paper. His battle cries rallied his Neighborhood watch and the rest of them pushed out the Raiders sending them back to wherever they came from.

When what was rest of them had fled, the Mayor walked amongst the dead, checking corpses, and ordering burials for his own men. Ben took a moment of the Mayor's time to thank him for keeping his family safe.

"Trouble is sort of my game, kid." Was all Hancock had said to him.

Both Ben and Sam retreated to their home, unharmed and relieved to tell their mother they were safe once again.

But Ben couldn't help but worry about Nora. She was out there, she didn't live far from here, and perhaps the Raiders would come for her next. Perhaps they had already found her. Nora's kindness had touched him in a way no one else had since he became a Ghoul. Ben voiced his concerns to his mother, and she agreed to send him with some food for Nora, if only he waited until tomorrow to depart.

"Nora knows how to handle herself." Holly said. "If they're out there, she'll protect herself."

Nora had been woken up by Raider's fleeing down the streets of Goodneighbor, she was relieved when they passed her home because she had an extra tough night trying to sleep. She didn't want to have to deal with them, and killing Raiders just didn't excite her like it used to.

Nora knew it was because of what was growing inside her. If an entire nuclear war could take away her first child, she wasn't about to let a fucking Raider cause her any trouble.

It seemed like they were heading back to whatever shack they had first occupied. Their plan to attack Goodneighbor was obviously poorly planned, and now they ran like an animal with its tail between its legs. Nonetheless, Nora couldn't sleep the rest of the night. She stayed awake, keeping warm next to Riot, and opened her last package of Fancy Lad Snack cakes.

The growth of her stomach had begun to feel uncomfortable. She remembered it well from having Shaun, it was all so familiar to her, and often she wished she had someone to hold her because of how much it reminded her of her old life. She was sad most of the time, and had started to long for some kind of comfort.

Almost as if her wish had been granted, an old friend had come knocking on her door at the first sign of light.

"Ben!" Nora said.

"Hey, Nora. I came to say hi."

"That's nice of you." Nora said. "I'm pretty alone these days, I'm pretty sure Riot doesn't appreciate my attempt to have a conversation with her." She laughed.

"My mom wanted me to bring you this." Ben said, handing her a sack of various rad-free food.

"I appreciate this." Nora said.

"I thought she'd give you the cram as well, but it seems she forgot." Ben said.

"Oh, that's quite all right." Nora said. "How is Goodneighbor fairing for you and your family?"

"Its good, the others in town are pretty nice, at least most of them are." Ben said.

"They can be a rough group, that's true." Nora said with a smile.

"Mayor Hancock was really kind when we first got there, nice to my family, he even bought me a drink and we talked about being… well being what we are." Ben told her.

The mention of Hancock's name made her body electrify. Knowing he was working, living just right over those walls, even though she couldn't see him, it thrilled her. She missed him, and Ben had seen him just the other day, spoken to him even. Nora imagined all the things Hancock would've said to him.

_"It's sort of a sexy, king of the zombies thing… Hell yeah I'll buy you a drink, in fact I'll buy you three."_

Nora shook the thought from her head.

"How is the Mayor," Nora asked, asking as if he was an old friend.

"Oh he's good. He seems good. The ladies at the Rail really seem to like him." Ben said nervously. "He told me that if you're a Ghoul and you meet a pretty girl, you should just go for it – _'take all the chances when you look like we do,'_ is how he put it." Ben said.

Nora felt sick and uneasy thinking of him at the Third Rail, women always looked at him. And now, he didn't have any reason to decline their advances.

"Is that so…" Nora said gritting her teeth and trying to hide her irritation. She fumbled with the bottom of her sweater what was concealing her bump.

"You should come back." Ben said. "I think the town could use you."

"Why's that?" Nora asked, "They have plenty of men. Lots of guns."

"Yesterday a few gunners started up a fight, and before that some super mutants almost caved in the wall next to the Rexford."

"But the Neighborhood Watch took care of it, didn't they?" Nora asked, concerned.

"Yeah, Mayor Hancock killed a lot of them. But-"

"But what?" Nora asked.

"I guess I can't help but worry." Ben said. "I don't want another home to get ruined."

"Well, if you ever need any extra help, throw a couple of these." Nora said as she handed him a sack of grenades.

"Whoa." was all Ben could say. "Really? Thanks. Are they really dangerous?"

"No, they'll just call in reinforcements, they're not explosive." Nora said. "I wouldn't give you grenades… you'd take down half of Goodneighbor."

"So they will tell you we need help?" Ben asked her.

"Yes, among other things." Nora said, adding another log to her fire. For the next couple hours Ben and Nora talked. Nora told him about being frozen and her life before the war. Ben told her about his concerns about his new life, and how being a ghoul was difficult, but Mayor Hancock made it look easy. Nora assured him that many ghouls still carry out romantic relationships and go on to live happy lives. There was no reason Ben had to sell himself short.

There wasn't more than a moment of silence before Ben had tried to kiss Nora.

Nora pulled away from his efforts, trying to be kind at the same time. She hated how her brain first told her to kiss him back. She stared at him for a moment, remembering how much he looked like John, except with a little more nose. She looked at him, his eyes read rejection, and Nora realized that he was hurt.

But she couldn't stop picturing John, and the way she had seen him hurt.

In a moment of weakness and hormones she kissed Ben. Feverishly, and heavy, she kissed him. She felt his skin, feeling the ghoulish texture let her live in a fantasy for only a moment… until she said the word " _John."_

Ben pulled away from her.

Nora had hoped that she had said the name in her head, _but she had said it out loud_. The way his lips had felt had brought her to a moment of bliss where she believed she was kissing John again, not Ben.

She could see that the poor boy was confused for a moment.

"I- I'm sorry." Nora said stuttering.

"I get it." Ben said. "At least there is someone else. And it's not the way I look." A smile played across his face.

"Ben, I'm sorry… I should've have done that." Nora said. Nora covered her face from embarrassment.

"I shouldn't have either. But hey, like Hancock said, I had to try."

Nora hated how there was just this one person between her and Hancock.

"Yeah, I'm sure the next girl you'll try with will be a little more available." Nora said. "I'm kind of busy at the moment."

Nora placed a hand on her belly, the sweater became round around her small bump, and she watched Ben's eyes widen.

"I- Oh! I didn't know, I'm so sorry!" Ben said. "I feel like an idiot…"

"Ben, It's okay, I'm sorry too, all these hormones have me doing crazy things… I - I am just glad to have some company." Nora told him. "I've been on my own for too long."

"That would explain this," Ben said as he reached into the bottom of the sack of food and pulled out the small knitted sweater. "My mom made this. Of course this is for you."

Nora took the small tiny sweater from his hands and began to cry. Ben held Nora in his arms, and Nora appreciated the gesture. She had cried alone for too long, and she missed being cared about. She missed having a family. For the rest of the night Nora and Ben talked. About her, about him, and they quickly became good friends.

* * *

**[June]**

Ben put his body in front of his little sisters when he first saw them. It wasn't the gunner's this time; it was the Brotherhood, or what was left of them.

They were angry, and it seemed that a hungry dissolute man was more dangerous than any other. Ben had picked up his sister Erin and hidden her away in the house while he looked for the sack of Grenades that Nora had given him weeks ago. And when he reentered the fighting he was terrified at what he saw.

Dogmeat and Hancock were fighting the invaders with everything they had, but Ben had to watch as a man was brutally stabbed in front of him. The attacker deciding to come for Ben next, but Hancock managed to save his life by throwing his large hunting knife into the man's throat.

"Get outa' here kid. This isn't the place for you." Hancock told him.

"But I-"

"No fucking buts! Go hide!" Hancock told him.

Ben ran back inside his home to find his family on the third floor, hiding from all the gunfire. A streak of courage flowed through Ben's veins as he thought of Nora, of his family, and how he wanted to help. Ben climbed a ladder to the top of the building, he was on the roof and he could see that the watch was out numbered from the number of enemies.

They were losing this fight.

Ben pulled the first grenade and tossed it where the fighting was thickest. He saw a moment of awe from everyone fighting when a bolt of lightning came down and struck the ground. In its wake was a synth, armed with a weapon, it immediately started firing at the Brotherhood, fighting alongside the Neighborhood watch.

Ben tossed four more into the crowd and found that with the synths help, the Neighborhood watch could actually fight back. The Brotherhood almost seemed to fear them more than anything else.

Ben caught Hancock's glance as the Mayor looked up to figure out where these synths were coming from. Hancock almost expected to see Nora, coming to their rescue, but Hancock knew it that was Ben he could see on the roof. Where he'd gotten these grenades, Hancock didn't know, but he didn't want to admit how appreciative he was that Ben had used them.

Once again, Goodneighbor fought off its enemies and sent the last stragglers away to die on their own.

Several more gunshots rang from outside Goodneighbor's walls.

The dead Brotherhood members were dragged away from Goodneighbor, and Hancock ordered more turrets to be built into the main gate, extra people on watch, and even asked for volunteers to help clean up the streets.

The Synths said nothing and just exited the courtyard of Goodneighbor; Hancock watched their relays pick them up from the other side of the gate.

_"Good riddance," he thought._

Hancock watched blood being cleaned from his streets, and realized the attacks were getting harder to win, he needed to look into security measures, and that made him want to speak to Ben.

Hancock found Ben, and had meant to speak with him about the grenades he had used, but Ben rushed past him, ignoring his hello, looking very worried. Hancock placed himself beside Holly, asking her if Ben was okay.

"He's just worried is all." Holly said. "He's always been a worrier that one."

Ben came back outside with a pistol in his hands. Hancock wondered what it was for.

"I have to Mom, and I can't wait until tomorrow this time." Ben said.

Hancock thought there would be nothing more foolish than to leave the gates right now, it would be Ben's own death wish.

"Ben, please, don't go." Sam told him.

"It's not safe, kid." Hancock told him. Ben ignored his statement and looked to his mother for permission.

"She said she would be here, if we needed her." Ben pleaded. "She never made it, she could be hurt."

Holly looked at him with sad eyes and nodded. "Go and get her Ben. Make sure she's safe."

Ben nodded and walked away from his family, courage still flowing through his veins, He heard his mother call out to him, "Be careful!"

Hancock couldn't help but wonder who he was going to look for.

* * *

Nora was lying on her back trying to get her spine to realign after a night of poor sleep. Then she heard the gunshots. Nora sat up and made her way to the roof. Rifle in hand, she looked into the scope.

Men. Gunners… No. The Brotherhood. They had made their way here and were now looking for food and shelter. And word around town was Goodneighbor was the place to be.

Nora aimed her rifle and realized she had no ability to make a clear shot at this range. Even if she ran there, she would have to go slow, her weight had increased and she couldn't move as well as she used to.

She was trying to count how many there were and gauge the odds of their success. But then she saw the relay grenades go off, and she knew that meant they needed help. She'd be damned if she put all this hard work into Goodneighbor just to see it fall apart. Nora and Riot packed up their things and headed down the street. She saw another grenade go off, then another. If Ben set off enough of them, the synths would help them fight. Nora trusted the synths to protect Goodneighbor.

Five. She counted five relays now. She was almost there… a few blocks away now.

Nora was moving slowly, she was carrying a lot and having trouble moving. She had to take cover when she saw the gates reopen and several men running for their lives. She wanted to hide, but Riot's first reaction was to fight. The men were too close for Nora to tell her to heel. They were running right for her.

Riot ran out to mee them, lunging at the first man, she attacked his throat. Nora raised her Rifle and shot the same man in the head, but then she had a closer view of the man who was right behind him. Riot didn't have a chance to regain her footing before the man shot Riot.

Nora heard the saddest sound come from her companion, a small whine… and then nothing.

Nora raised her rifle again, ready to blow the man's head off, and she did. But she was so blinded with rage that she didn't see the two women flank her.

_Nora didn't hear them, she didn't see them._

She just felt the bullet slide into her ribs as she fell to the ground.

* * *

Ben took it upon himself to protect his friend. Nora had protected his family a number of times, and he couldn't just leave her out there on her own. He took the quiet street to her home, assuming Nora would've taken the longer way anyway. And it wasn't long before he tripped over the bodies of a couple BOS men. Both had been shot right between the eyes, something Nora was capable of. And then Ben's heart sank. He saw Riot with a bloody mouth, and blood all through out her fur. She wasn't moving, she wasn't even breathing.

Ben held his breath.

He placed his hand on the dog's head to say goodbye, Ben had liked Riot, she had protected Nora when she was alone, and she had been kind – not like other dogs in the commonwealth. Ben kept his ears open, listening for any BOS members hiding in-between buildings. He started to check bodies, picking up ammo that was useful. Then several blocks down he saw the unmistakable form of Nora.

She was on her back, rifle no longer at her side, her pack missing, even her chest plate armor was gone. Ben saw her swollen belly; it was rising and falling, meaning she was till breathing. He picked her up and went back the way he came. Nora had come to their aid, but now it was their turn to help her.

Ben burst through the Goodneighbor gates, many volunteers who had been brought here by Nora came to meet him when he saw who he was carrying. Ben was tired from carrying her, he was covered in her blood, his fingers slipping from the soaked vault suit.

"Somebody help me!" Ben cried.

A much stronger man took Nora's body and carried her across the courtyard. Holly came to Ben's side, concerned her son was hurt, but when he assured her the blood wasn't his, the citizens looked to Nora. They all escorted her to the Memory Den, each one of them commenting on how she had helped them.

"Oh my god." Someone gasped.

"She brought me and my brother here."

"She brought my family here."

"She helped me get here too."

"And me."

"And me!"

They were all shocked to see her swollen belly, and all worried for Nora. Each of them felt as though they owed her a debt for giving them a new life, and here Nora was, giving not only her life, but also her child's.

Twenty people walked through the memory den and into the basement with Nora. Amari was there and eager to help. Amari instantly recognized the blue vault suit, even though Amari wanted to refuse to help Nora, she couldn't refuse to help an innocent child. She started Nora on an IV drip and began to inspect her wound.

Everyone was silent, interrupted by the panting of a dog and it's nails as it raced down the basement steps.

Dogmeat ran through the door to the basement, elated to see his old master. Dogmeat had come to be with Nora as well, his tongue lapped at her hand, as he whined because she wouldn't pet him back.

Amari felt a shiver go down her spine when she heard the footsteps following Dogmeat; they were heavy boots, with buckles, their sound was distinct. She heard him take each step individually, each thud making her jump just a little bit.

Amari looked at Hancock as he walked through the basement entrance. His eyes were first on Dogmeat, then on the large group of people that occupied the basement, and then his eyes flickered to Nora.

Amari had never seen such a look cross his face.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now I'll go back to posting original chapters after a period of several days. Story is almost entirely written, and can't wait to work on new fics. Hope you all enjoy the rest of the story.


	14. As He Discerns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hancock comes to a true understanding of what Nora went through in the Commonwealth. He forgives her, but not before he makes another mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I like you guys, here's a present. It's the longest chapter yet, so enjoy! AND IT'S BEING GIVEN TO YOU SUPER SUPER EARLY, I will take my leisurely sweet time with the next chapter, so put your patient panties on... and I'm thinking... 2-3 more chapters left, that is including the next one! Ahh! It's almost over! What will I do!
> 
> #imsuchapushover

Hancock hadn't said anything as he watched Amari remove a stimpak from Nora's side. He seemed to be in shock. Amari was concerned he would fall over any minute from some Jet induced coma.

"Mayor." Amari said, "Are you all right?"

Hancock looked at her and just nodded his head. "What's wrong with her?" Hancock asked.

"BOS guys shot her, took all her things. Killed her dog." Ben said.

"Is this who you went to look for, Ben?" Hancock asked the look on his face must have made Ben nervous.

"Yes sir." Ben said.

"Ben was doing us a favor, she… brought us all here, we owe her so much." One woman said.

"Stole my family right out of Diamond City. All five of us. Gave me all her food too." Holly added.

"How many of you did she-" Hancock asked before being cut off.

"-All of us." Another woman said.

Hancock looked at the group of newcomers in front of him, Nora had lead all of them here? He thought about all the occupants of his warehouses, how they had steadily walked through his gates ever since he had asked Nora to leave.

His anger faultered for a moment, but only a moment.

Hancock looked at Nora and found himself staring at her stomach. The growth instilled a new form of jealousy, a new kind of betrayal.

_It couldn't be his._

Just as soon as she was out of Goodneighbor of course she had found someone else. Someone else to warm her bed… Hancock felt the pit of his stomach rotate as he realized how replaceable he'd been all along.

_At least she wasn't a synth after all. And that made her a person… a person that had said she loved him._

But still, this wasn't his kid.

"How soon can you can have her out of here?" Hancock asked Amari. He pretended not to notice some of the shocked looks on his citizen's faces.

"There's no good way to tell. She's not in any pain right now, but the bullet didn't exit – it's still inside her." Amari said.

Hancock turned away from his people and took a deep breath to say what he wanted to say.

"Give her a band-aid and send her on her way." Hancock said. "She knows where to get help."

He couldn't pretend not to hear the gasps that came from behind him. Even Amari's face was hard to look at.

"How dare you?" Holly said. "This girl needs our help!"

Amari looked at Hancock. "John, I don't think that's a good idea, this isn't just Nora we're talking about here." There was a thick awkward silence that flooded the room.

"John." Hancock heard Ben say. The silence still held the room, Amari had said his name so clearly. " _You're John_?" Ben asked. Ben's eyes widened, he knew what John was so Nora, but from what Ben understood, was that she had lost John, that he was dead… the wheels kept turning in Ben's head and all but broke when Hancock spoke.

Hancock looked at him with stern onyx eyes and said, "Yeah, I am."

Ben had always held a small crush for Nora. She was pleasant, and beautiful, but she wasn't his to care for. Ben had stayed awake at night wondering who this 'John' could've been. Why had Nora kissed Ben, only to long for John – and now it was clear. Now that Ben knew, he was appalled that Hancock didn't even care about her wellbeing, Nora was so sad when she spoke of John… Ben put the clues together, she must've been out there all alone because he had cast her aside, and for what? _To fuck a few girls at the Third Rail? To get high_? He had broken Nora's heart, and Ben couldn't fathom a reason why anyone would do that.

Ben took three steps forward and swung his fist into Hancock's face.

Sam and Holly reached out for their son, but Hancock was quick and knocked the rest of Ben's nose off. Blood trickled down his face as both men looked at one another. Ben rebounded and pushed Hancock against the desk in the back, several stimpaks and trays went crashing to the ground. Angrier than before, Hancock came at Ben, this time pushing him back, Ben was ready and didn't allow himself to lose his balance. When he saw his opportunity, he swung at Hancock again, hitting him in the jaw.

Dogmeat was barking. Hancock looked back at the dog, and when he turned back around to throw another fist at Ben, Nora was there, standing between them, well more so hunched between them.

"Stop." Was all Nora said before the two could throw more punches at one another. She clutched her stomach at tried to hide the pain she was in.

Amari looked at Nora and began to try and get her to sit back down. Nora refused and steadied herself against Ben who's shirt was now covered in blood. "How much pain are you in?" Amari asked.

"A lot." Nora said.

Hancock looked away from her, and Ben put his arms around her.

Nora resented the fact that Ben had come to her aid, and Hancock had chosen to not even look at her. She could feel Dogmeat's cold nose on her other hand. She returned the affection and felt sadness for Riot who had only been trying to protect her.

When Hancock did look back at Nora, it was a look of anger, and she knew it. Nora knew Hancock well, and the look on his face was the same look that had wrapped his hands around her throat. Nora's grasp on Ben became tighter.

"Yeah go ahead, looks like it didn't take you long to find someone else after you left." Hancock said his eyes were on her stomach. His words cutting her like daggers.

" _John…_ " was all Nora managed to get out before she became distracted by pain. She was just shaking her head, everyone was so quiet, Nora's eyes welled with tears, "help me, Ben." Was all she said. Nora ripped the IV from her arm before she took a few steps forward.

"Nora, I don't recommend you move." Amari told her, "At least let me bandage your arm!"

Nora couldn't stand straight. Holly and Ben tried to help her, they wanted her to sit back down... but Nora managed to throw herself from their grasp and past Hancock before she fell at the foot of the stairs. She cried out in pain.

Nora picked herself back up and found Ben and Holly back at her side, they were helping her up the stairs now, away from Hancock, away from Goodneighbor. On the good days Nora had dreamed that this baby would somehow change Hancock's mind, but when she saw his face, she knew there was no hope. This wasn't her home.

Nora leaned on Ben as he led her out of the Memory Den.

"We'll go away from this place." Ben told her.

Nora just shook her head. She fell to her knees when they were between the Memory Den and the Old State House. There was enough space here.

Kent Connelly, Daisy, several humans and ghouls who all cared about Nora were standing around her, concerned and disappointed at what their mayor had done. Hancock had followed them outside as well, but stayed several feet away from the ordeal.

Holly placed her hands on Nora's belly, trying to be helpful in some way that she didn't know how. They could all see that Nora wasn't well, her face was pale, her suit stained with blood once again, this time it was all hers.

"Get back." Nora said.

Nora was weak; Hancock could see she was in pain. He had never seen her this way on the road, _but he knew if he had_ , he would be at her side with med-x and a stim. Hancock almost felt his body throw itself forward, like it wanted to be at her side, but this time he couldn't… _not anymore_.

Hancock was trying very hard to remember why he wouldn't let himself help her. He had to try really, really hard.

"Get back!" Nora said again, this time pushing away Ben and hard as she could.

Ben couldn't tell what he'd done wrong, Nora pushed away Holly's hands, and messed with her PipBoy.

Hancock watched as the relay came down from the sky, absorbing every atom that was Nora.

Everyone who had been watching only stood there in shock. Several were unsure at what they saw, some appalled, others just confused.

"There may be synths in Diamond City, but there will never be synths in Goodneighbor!" Hancock stuck his hands in the air and received some praise. Several citizens cheered, many did not.

Hancock had always told himself that everyone was welcome in Goodneighbor, and for a while, everyone was. Until everyone became scared of the boogeyman… the Institute had become their enemy, and synths were what everyone feared.

In an instant, he felt regret at what he said and looked back at where Nora had just been. He wanted her to be there, he wanted to rush to her side and help her, but she was gone. A small pool of blood was all that was left.

In that sentence Hancock realized he had become his brother, and gone against everything he'd ever believed.

His eyes widened as he whispered, " _What I have I done"?_

* * *

Hancock heard another citizen of Goodneighbor arguing outside his balcony.

"Boss their gonna tear the city apart." Fahrenheit said. "You gotta do something."

"You think I don't know that?" Hancock said.

"If you'd just tell me what the fuck this was about, I get sacrificing a pawn to win the game, but I feel like you scarified our King here." Fahrenheit said.

"I sacrificed the Queen." Hancock said. "Now the king is threatened."

Hancock was slumped in his chair, sucking out what was left in an empty jet inhaler.

Nora had disappeared several days ago, and several of the newcomers had issues with how she had been sent away, and several long-time residents hated the fact that Ben had used synth relay grenades, and seen Nora leave in the same way. They were arguing constantly, and Hancock had opted to just get high.

Hancock hated their arguing, because when it came down to it, Nora had helped him, and saved these people. She had worked to atone for what she had done, and Hancock had looked down on her for taking comfort with another man. He went against his own goddamn motto, because this time, _Nora had needed helping_. But he let his jealousy get the better of him, and he let himself be bitter.

"Bring me that Ben kid." Hancock said to Fahrenheit. "I wanna… talk to him."

"Just talk?" Fahrenheit asked.

"Yes…" Hancock said as his Jet began to subside.

"Give me a few minutes." Fahrenheit said.

Fahrenheit came back with Ben behind her. He seemed timid and afraid, Fahrenheit gestured for Ben to sit across from Hancock. Hancock was leaning back against the couch, his head slung back, he realized just how heavy his head had become when he tried to look Ben in the eyes.

The Jet was finally gone when Hancock asked, "Where'd you get those grenades? From Nora?"

"Yes sir."

"And she took you and your family from Diamond City?"

"Yes sir."

"But she never mentioned knowing me?" Hancock asked.

"No sir. Well-" Ben said.

"Well? Well what?" Hancock asked.

"Well she did, but I didn't know she was telling me about you."

"What do you mean?" Hancock asked him.

"Well she told me all about John. Not Mayor Hancock, she even asked about you once. I told her about the time we spent at the Third Rail." Ben said.

 _'_ _Great'. Hancock thought,_ lately his time at the Third Rail had been frequent, involving drugs, and women.

"So did she mention anyone else? Like who she'd been with, who the father of her baby was?" Hancock asked.

"No sir, she – she- uh." Ben had begun to stutter again.

"Come on, boy."

"She said it was John's." Ben said. "I – I know how that must sound, but… one day I sort of kissed her,"

"You what?!" Hancock exclaimed standing up from his couch, a low growl emanating from his voice. He was surprised at the jealousy dripping from his voice. Ben recoiled even further into the cushions.

"Yes, but let me explain. I uh… took your advice, you know, ' _when we look like we do, you gotta go for it_." Ben said. "She didn't kiss me for long, we stopped when she said your name, and after that is when she told me -when she told me about John. She told me about how you saved her from becoming one of us, she… made me feel better about who I am, and I suppose that came from knowing you. She loved whoever John was, which was why I never kissed her again."

Hancock sat back down and was silent for a moment, thinking back to everything he and Nora had been through. Fahrenheit was concerned about what Ben was saying, and she was even more perplexed about how Nora could stir up so many problems.

"You can go now." Hancock said. "And hey – Sorry about your nose."

Ben nodded and then scurried out of the State House without any complaint. Hancock scratched the back of his head and walked to his room. He got on his hands and knees and pulled out from under the bed the small black bag that Nora had hidden a long time ago.

Inside was his favorite experimental chem that had already killed him twice.

Hancock wrapped the strap of his ammo bag around his arm and stuck the needle into his arm. He strap released itself when Hancock stepped back and staggered. He tried to regain his balance, finding it after only a few moments.

When he was good and high he walked to the Memory Den.

He only half remembered Irma setting him up in a Lounger. As usual, Amari gave him free reign of his memories, allowing him to jump around without her permission coming from the terminal.

He relaxed into the chair and directed his mind to his favorite memory.

_He could see his human self in the reflection of a mirror; damn he was handsome back then. He watched himself mouth the word 'goodbye,' before he pressed that syringe into his arm. John McDonough slowly faded away, and Hancock entered the world that became his eventual reality. His world spun, this was the trip of a lifetime. He felt every nerve on his body sing from pleasure; he felt his mind fly to the highest and purest of thoughts. Every breath he took was beautiful, every color, every sound, they were all his favorite things._

_He was enveloped into a world of ecstasy and bliss where his brother couldn't hurt him anymore. Where Nora couldn't hurt him._

The split second that his mind had registered Nora's name, it took him to a completely new memory.

_This memory was filled with pain, the feeling was as though he was turning ghoul all over again._

The sudden switch from pleasure to pain scared him… then he saw Nora's face, and the pain subsided.

_This was a memory, this had happened, but when?_

_He realized where he was it was Sanctuary. It was the night Nora had brought him there and saved his life. He could see the pre-war walls, the high ceiling, her dresser, the dog's beds. But then the pain came back. He was thrashing about in her bed, sweat dripping from his brow, he remembered feeling so much pain. He cried out into the darkness and Nora was there. She had always been there._

_Nora was wiping his forehead with a cold wet rag, she had her arms around him, his clothes were gone. She was washing his entire body, riding him from the filth that was seeping out his pores._

_"_ _It hurts!" he said._

_"_ _Shh. I know, I know." She said as she cupped his face and held his neck._

_Nora left his side for only a moment before she returned with water. She lifted his head trying to get him to drink, but it went down wrong, he coughed it up and spit the water all over her, she didn't even flinch. She just began wiping him clean again. He felt her cool fingers check his fever, he felt her wrap him in warm blankets._

_The memory spun forward to a point where Hancock was no longer thrashing about, just moaning in pain. Nora was laying at his side, sharing the bed with him. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun and her eyes told him she was tired… and scared. He could feel Nora pull his head into her chest while she hummed songs for him. The pain was subsiding the more she held him, the more she touched him… her fingers ran all across his chest, the feeling distracting himself from the pain._

Had he really been conscious for all of this?

He remembered the next day, kissing Nora in the hallway… she had said, _"you weren't asleep all night, get some rest." Then the memory began to slip into the kiss they shared in the hallway._

Hancock tried to run away from the memory. _He couldn't think of their first time…_ he kept running.

_He found himself in Goodneighbor, he was running up the stairs of the Old State House to find Nora sitting up in his bed after she had been poisoned with rads. He remembered how elated he felt when he saw that she was okay._

'No.' Hancock thought, 'that's not why I'm here!'

The memory rolled foreword, his mind was a temporary blur. I'm here for my favorite memory. I'm here for the same reason I always am.

_When his mind stopped, it brought him his favorite memory, he found himself in his own bed, on top of Nora. He could feel himself inside her, it was after he had that serum, and he felt young again, full of vitality. The feeling of her around him was incredible; he was concerned that he might come sitting in this Lounger if he watched anymore. Then he heard the words, "I. Love. You." In the most breathless, honest moan coming from Nora's lips, he remembered right then and there how she had bewitched him and how he had loved it._

Hancock thrust the small screen from his face and forced open the Lounger pod so forcefully he was sure he had broken it. He tumbled onto the floor, forgetting that drugs were still in control of his system.

Hancock expected Irma at any minute to start scolding him about how this was expensive equipment. But instead he found a hand of a synth reaching out to him, offering him help. Hancock looked up and found Nick Valentine hovering above him.

"Nick, old buddy." Hancock said breathlessly, his heart was still pounding in his chest.

"-Old pal." Nick said as he stretched out his hand to help Hancock to his feet.

"How the hell have you been?" Hancock asked taking his hand.

"I've been all right. Taking a break from the private eye business." Nick told him. "Thought I'd visit the most beautiful girl in the commonwealth." Nick said looking back at Irma and giving her a wink. "You remembering a bad trip in there? I've never seen someone throw themselves out of a Lounger before."

"No, just paying a visit to another beautiful-" Hancock started, "It's nothing, never mind, forget I said anything, let me buy you and Irma a drink."

"Whoa, what's this? Did Hancock find someone special?" Nick asked. "I never thought I'd see the day." Nick pat Hancock on the back. "You'll have to tell me about this girl, definitely over drinks."

Hancock held his breath at Nick's brevity of the situation.

"Well, actually," Hancock said, "you know her."

"Do I?" Nick's smile was still wide.

"It's Nora." Hancock said.

Nick's smile dropped from his face almost immediately. Nick had always been protective of Nora. And no one had heard from her in months, even when she had promised she would visit him in Diamond City.

"So she's been with you all this time. No one's seen her in months. Not me, not the minutemen." Nick said. "So she's okay?" The look on his face was concern.

"Well. About that." Hancock said.

Hancock swore Nick's eyes went from yellow to red for a split second.

"Where is she, Hancock?" Nick said. "That girl saved my life so many times I can't even count, so help me if you slept with her and tossed her aside…"

"No, no! Nick, Calm down!" Hancock said. "We just split is all."

"So you did sleep with her." Nick said flatly.

Okay, Hancock _definitely_ saw his eyes flash red that time.

"Yeah but it's not like that-" Hancock began.

"I know Nora. I know what she's like, and if she stooped low enough to be with the likes of you it's because she actually wanted to be with you." Nick said. "So I find it hard to think she would volunteer to split from whoever she became close with after Nate. God Hancock, do you know what's she's been through?"

"Yeah, I do. That was sort of the problem. The Institute… it was everything, she knew about my brother – about what he really is."

"And you decided that was worth leaving her over?" Nick asked. "Because she was afraid to hurt you? Because she didn't want to tell you the truth… maybe to save you from that knowing some of the pain she went through?"

"Nick, buddy, I feel like you're jumping down my throat here, and with all do respect, you know nothing about us. " Hancock said his tone becoming irritated. Nick only looked at him with a scoul on his face. "Now if you're done laying judgment down on me, anything else I can do for ya?" Hancock asked.

"Come with me." Nick said flatly.

Hancock followed Nick into the basement, Amari was surprised by the two of them.

"Mayor, was your Lounger not working correctly?" Amari asked.

"Almost too well." Hancock said flatly.

"Amari, I need a favor." Nick said. "I think some things need to be made clear."

"About?" Amari asked.

"Nora. Hook me up to that thing and pull the same trick from last time. Only put Hancock in the hot seat."

"Last time we put your circuits in a very stressful –" Amari began,

"-Amari, I don't care, just do it. I've still got Kellogg stuck in my head any way, he's not going to get any worse." Nick said.

"If you say so." Amari said. "Mayor, if you'd please sit over there."

Hancock looked at he chair, "Another Lounger," Hancock said, "I just clawed my way out of the last one."

"These won't be your memories." Amari said, "They'll be Nick's memories of Nora, and Kellogg's memories of Nora… and Nora's memories of… well it all depends on what Nick shows you."

"What the fuck are you talking about, Amari?" Hancock asked.

"It's widely complicated." Amari said. "It's just easier if you don't ask questions."

Hancock scratched the back of his head and sat down in the Lounger because the look Nick was giving him actually scared him. He was coming down from his high, and found it easier just not to fight with Nick.

Hancock watched as Amari plugged Nick into another machine before the screen turned on in his Lounger.

Hancock heard Amari complaining about connections, then came blackness. He'd never experienced this before, he felt like he was actually in someone else's mind or minds…

"What would you like to see first?" he heard Amari say.

"Let's start at the beginning. Let's meet Kellogg." Nick said.

_Hancock's head spun until his feet landed on the floor. Shit, This was a vault._

_He walked down a catwalk, following two men in suits, rows and rows of cryo chambers filled the room._

_He stopped with them, watching as the terminal released the pressure from the chambers – the man in front of him was waking up, wearing a vault suit just like Nora's. The cryo chamber opened, Hancock was in such disbelief at what he was seeing. A dark skinned man and a small infant. This was Nora's husband._

_"_ _I'm not giving you Shaun!" Hancock heard him say._

_Then a gunshot rang out in his ears._

_The man was dead, the baby crying… Hancock turned around his attention in line with Kellogg's. Then he saw Nora, her hands pounding on the glass, she was screaming… crying and in so much pain. She had witnessed everything, it happened right in front of her… while she was helpless._

_Hancock watched as the pained look on her face froze into place. He touched the cryo chamber, he felt nothing. He wanted to reach into it and hold her. Hancock knew she waited like that for another sixty years._

_The screen faded black again._

_Hancock whizzed through strange memory connections. Finally ending up in a dual memory. He was seeing it play out through both Nick's eyes, and the man named Kellogg, whichever eyes he looked through, he could only see Nora. The memory was frozen, Hancock took a moment to look at her unscarred face, her long hair, the Nora he knew from a long time ago, the girl that had first walked through Goodneighbor's gates, scared and looking for her son._

_"_ _If it isn't my old friend the frozen tv dinner." Kellogg said. "I'm surprised you made it this far."_

_Nora began to speak, "You son of a bitch, you tell me where he is!"_

_Nora looked so green, Hancock could see that she wasn't even holding her pistol properly; she was shaking like a leaf. How long has she been out of the vault when this happened?_

_"_ _He's safe, I assure you. He's with the Institute. A little older than you might expect."_

_"_ _You tell me where those bastards are, because I will kill Every. Last. One of them!" Nora said._

_"_ _Sorry kid. Can't do that." Kellogg said._

_The memory flashed forward to Nora and Nick attacking Kellogg and two synths. Hancock watched as Nora ripped off the arm of a synth while Kellogg hit her from behind with a chair. Even with the obvious pain Kellogg has caused, Nora scrambled on top of him, beating him repeatedly with the synths arm._

The memory fizzled away, leaving Hancock to think and feel Nick's thoughts. Not just his thoughts, but Nora's as well, if Nora had been in his seat last time, Nick had explored her mind too, they had been one mind, and that was why Nick was so protective of her.

Through this memory of pain, and revenge, Hancock had understood that Nora's choice was nothing like the one he made with his brother. He could feel it.

The last memory Nick showed Hancock was one of his own. And it was the most difficult for Nick to show him.

_It was back in Diamond City, in the old detective agency, Hancock hadn't thought about this place in years._

_"_ _What am I supposed to do?" Nora cried out. She was sitting on the floor of his office, her legs pulled up to her chest; she was rocking back and forth._

_Nick was kneeling on the floor before Nora, her eyes full of tears and red from hours of crying._

_"_ _I don't know sweet girl, It's never easy." Nick said. "The Institute has always been a mystery, but now you've solved it."_

_"_ _But I don't want to kill anybody!" Nora cried even harder._

_"_ _I know, I know." Nick said. "I don't want you to kill anyone either."_

_Nora choked, her breathing was erratic, Hancock could feel the concern and pain that Nick had felt in this moment. Hancock was feeling the same way._

_"_ _How can I kill my own son?" Nora asked him. "After all this…"_

_"_ _I know kid. There's no easy way out of this." Nick said. "Just don't pick sides, just stay here, we'll go on as partners, solve the worlds mysteries. How's that sound?"_

_Nora just shook her head._

_"_ _If I don't, they'll just kill each other." Nora said. "My own son will kill my friends, and then my enemy will kill my son. I have to do something Nick!"_

_"_ _Nora, go spend the time you can with Shaun, no matter what happens, at least you'll say you had some time with him."_

_"_ _I just found my baby, please I just found my baby!" Nora was hyperventilating, Nick had to pull her into a hug and rock her back and forth until she calmed down._

Then the memory faded out, and Hancock was back in the Lounger.

Nick was already sitting on the couch when Amari helped Hancock exit the chair. Hancock could see that there were tears in her eyes from watching the memories with them.

"It's easier to understand her when you've shared a brain with her." Nick said.

"Yeah." Hancock swallowed hard. That last memory had been hard to take.

"Look, if you still got doubts, just ask yourself the question, could you have killed your own brother?"

"You know I couldn't, Nick. I wanted to, but I couldn't." Hancock said.

"Then why is it so hard for you to understand why Nora chose the Institute? Did you expect her to murder her son?" Nick asked.

Hancock was silent. Everything else fit into place.

"Nora helped the Institute in many ways, and she did end up being responsible for many innocent deaths. Which I don't hold her entirely guilty of because I believe her own son manipulated her. After Shaun got what he wanted from her, he told Nora he was dying." Nick held a long pause, he kept Hancock's gaze, while Hancock tried to understand all this from another point of view. "A lot of people think Nora's story lies with Vault 111, and her missing son. But Nora's real story has to do with how the Commonwealth manipulated her, beat her, and tricked her into false hope. Everyone here took advantage of her – the Railroad, the Brotherhood, and especially the Institute. But despite all that, she still chose to help people."

A small smile slid across Nick's face.

"And for some god awful reason she chose you. So help me Hancock if you've harmed her in anyway, I will beat you until your ears fall off." Nick said.

"She's –" Hancock said. His stomach sank; his heart was in his feet. "I don't know where she is. And I don't know if she's okay."

Amari wiped away her tears with the back of her hand before she spoke, "She had been gone for quite some time, but she came back a few days ago with a bullet wound."

"And?" Nick asked, another concerned look spread across his face.

"She ran away." Amari said. "Her and Hancock hadn't seen each other in months, and there was fighting, and arguing…"

"And I didn't exactly ask her to stay." Hancock admitted.

"And we don't know where she is now?" Nick asked.

"Well we have an idea." Hancock said. "She used a relay."

"Why would she go to the Institute for a bullet wound?" Nick asked. "Nora's had worse and stims have always worked."

"Well it's a little more complicated then that." Amari said.

Hancock swallowed hard, whether he was responsible for Nora's condition or not, Nick was surely going to hit him.


	15. To Make It Right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I like you all a lot, so here you go.

Hancock came to on the floor of the Memory Den basement. Amari had a cold rag covering his now bruised eye. Synths really could wind back their arm and knock someone right off their feet. Hancock stood up to find a genuinely pleased Nick sitting on the couch across the room.

"Yeah, yeah I deserved that." Hancock said.

"You're damn right." Nick said.

"I shouldn't have let her leave, I should have kept her here."

"You should've protected her is what you should've done, even if she wasn't carrying your kid." Nick said.

"Yeah. I should have. And I shouldn't have pushed her away in the first place, then there wouldn't even be a mess." Hancock said. "But how do I fix it?"

"Well, start by fixing this town of yours, maybe set a few things straight." Nick said. "Amari says everyone's pulling this place apart because of what happened."

Hancock nodded his head and sighed. He had to come up with some kind of plan.

"Nick would you meet me at the gates in an hour? I've got to make some arrangements, but I think it's time we go look for her. When she leaves the Institute, we'll bring her home."

"An hour?" Nick asked.

"Yeah. An hour." Hancock said.

* * *

Hancock first came to Fahrenheit; she was pulling apart an argument between two men. One of them was Ben; the other man was making it very clear that Nora had to be some kind of synth. Hancock liked that Ben was defending her.

"Look," Hancock said. "Make your way over to the balcony, I'm going to have a talk with you," Hancock said. "With everyone."

Fahrenheit nodded and pushed the two men forward before she started to call out, "Speech!"

Hancock made his way inside the Old State House, ready to give a speech he hadn't prepared. His chems were wearing off, and his hands had become clammy. He was nervous, and not about the speech. He was terrified Nora could be dead somewhere. He had pushed her away, and if he truly loved her, he would have worked it out with her, he should have been kind to her. His heart was in his feet as he sat on his bed, this bed had been hers, she had become his, she had loved him all along, and he had thrown away the one person to ever do that.

With shaky hands, he made his way to the balcony of the Old State House.

There were so many of them now. So many citizens… he became nervous for a moment until he felt a loyal Dogmeat brush against his leg.

"Citizens of Goodneighbor!" he yelled. Some cheered, others kept the scowls on their faces.

"We've always held a high standard of drifters here in Goodneighbor, always accepted newcomers, and we've managed to keep these walls safe!"

There was more cheering.

"And we have always had a strong stance against the Institute!"

More people cheered.

"But it's time we amended that statement." Hancock said flatly.

The crow was silent.

"I've realized that we are no different from Diamond City, my brother casts out Ghouls and I cast out synths? That is no way to run Goodneighbor my friends."

Hancock took in a deep breath.

"I will not let any harm come to this town. I will not let harm come to my people. But just the other day five synths kept many of you from getting killed in our last attack."

"Yeah!" a few people said, one of which, Hancock could tell was Ben.

"And I do not appreciate the comments that have been made about our friend Nora. She built your beds my friends, she's supplied you with chems, saved my life not once, but twice, and brought many of you wonderful people here."

"But mayor, we can't let ourselves get replaced by synths!" someone said.

"And we won't! I can assure you that Goodneighbor will not be infiltrated by synths, but I must tell you that any synth and all synths without ill intent have a home here. Just like ghouls with good intentions get to call this place home, and every drifter, caravan worker, human, and hell, even super mutant. That's what we're about right? Of the people, but FOR THE PEOPLE!"

"Yeah!"

"Yes!"

"You're right!"

Hancock was aware that there were still a couple people who didn't like that he was even saying the word synth.

"And for those of you who can't be civil, will find themselves asked to leave Goodneighbor." Hancock said. "Nora is our friend, and I trust her with my life, that means I also trust her with yours, and as she has so diligently proved that she will protect you and me at all costs."

"But where is she?" he heard Holly ask.

"Who cares, she's a synth!" someone shouted.

"That is not the case citizens, I can assure you I know that Nora is not a synth, but she does know synths, and many of whom look to her for care and comfort. Just like the Minutemen settlements looked to her for protection, and just like I look to her for…" Hancock's voice trailed off. He didn't know what to say. His hands tightly gripped the balcony, knuckles turning white against the wood.

It became painfully aware that his people were aware of his weakness. His silence meant that he needed her, and that he loved her.

"I am going to go find her!" Hancock said, "Fahrenheit is in charge while I'm gone, I hope that none of you chose to leave because I assure you that Goodneighbor is here to stay, and will always be…"

"OF THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE!" They all said in unison.

Hancock stepped off the balcony and took a swing of whiskey from a nearby bottle. Underneath his boot he crushed the bag of experimental chems that was only half hidden by his bed. Dogmeat barked at him, Hancock then grabbed his shotgun, and made his way to meet Nick.

The old synth was waiting for him with a smile on his face.

"That's the best speech I've ever heard you give." Nick said. "Kinda fizzled out there at the end though…"

Hancock nodded and began to open the front gate when Ben ran up behind him.

"Let's just go find her." Hancock said. "I've lost the only person that ever cared about me, and I owe her this."

Nick's reply was interrupted by Ben. "Mayor, Sir. I'd like to go with you."

"You can't come kid." Hancock told him.

"But I know where you should go." Ben said. "She could be at her home, it's not far from here."

"What do you mean?" Nick asked.

"She stayed in a building not far from there. My family and I stayed there when we had to stop for the night."

Hancock looked at Nick and they both shrugged their shoulders. Had she really been down the road all this time?

"Sure kid." Nick said.

Ben nodded at Hancock, but still didn't have the courage to look him in the eye.

The three of them and Dogmeant only walked a few blocks before the poor pup ran to meet an old friend. Suddenly Nora's danger became very real when Hancock looked at Riot's body.

"I found her first." Ben said quietly, "Then I found Nora over here."

"We've got to take care of this first." Hancock said. He gently brushed the fur of the dog that had kept him company on so many cold nights. Hancock took his time and buried Riot in a nearby patch of grass; Ben helped and was covered in dirt by the time it was done. Hancock knew Nora would have wanted this for Riot. Dogmeat wanted it too, because he howled loudly as soon as she was in the ground.

After a long silence, Ben had urged them to keep going. He quickly led them to where Nora had been staying, which wasn't far from Riot's new grave.

The building looked in poor condition, but Ben led them upstairs to a more well put together floor. There was a mattress and soft pillow. Dogmeat began to sniff them and whine. Hancock knew how he felt. She had been so close to him this whole time; she could probably see the glow of Goodneighbor's sign from outside her window. Hancock leaned out the window to check, yep – there it was.

"She's not here." Ben said.

"Unlikely." Nick said. "Still probably in the Institute."

"So she really did go to the Institute?" Ben asked. "She's knows how to get there?"

"That's what a relay does…" Nick said. "And in her condition, I wouldn't imagine she'd go anywhere different. That place has all sorts of medical equipment. Let's leave a note, and check out the next place."

Hancock looked around; a small yellow sweater caught his eye.

He picked up the tiny garment and held it in his hands. It was new, and handmade.

"My mom made that for her." Ben told him.

Hancock could still feel his heart in his feet as he said, "There's someone we need to see."

* * *

Nora woke up to the sound of a heart monitor, not only reflecting her own calm heart beat, but also that of a small child.

Allie Fillmore greeted her with a look of concern.

"We don't see you for months, and you come back to us in such a state of disarray." Allie said.

"I'm sorry. I had no where else to go." Nora said as she opened her eyes to the bright lights of the med bay. "Is it okay?"

"Your baby? Well yes, seeing as we pulled a bullet from your side, nothing ruptured the sac." Allie said as she poked and pressed on Nora's now exposed belly. As she looked down she realized how swollen her belly had become.

"I'd say you have somewhere around three months left, that is if you are carrying this to term." Allie said.

Nora sat up, appalled. "Of course I am."

"So you'll be staying?" Allie asked.

"I'd prefer not to." Nora said.

"Nora, I think we need to address you absence here, it hasn't gone unnoticed and I don't think everyone here favors you. You left us after Father died, and I think they suspect your loyalty could be with the wrong people." Allie whispered.

"What wrong people? I killed all the other people, remember? You are all that's left." Nora said. "I just… don't like being here. It reminds me of Shaun," Nora took in a deep breath, she realized what needed to be done, "If you'd prefer me to remove my title, I'd ask that you be instated as my successor. I would only ask that we remain allies, and can rely on one another for help when needed. You can run the Institute as you'd like, and I won't stop you." Nora's eyes began to water, "just help me, I've been alone for so long."

"Mother I'd be honored." Allie said she touched her face, almost shocked that Nora trusted her to take her place.

"Just do me the kindness of letting me go back to Sanctuary. I can't be here.. I can't relax in this place." Nora said. "I can come back when it's time."

"Well, a relay and pregnancy aren't exactly recommended, relaying when you did was dangerous enough. But if you really don't wish to stay… I could send you with X6-88 who could be programmed in maternity medical practices, and then after you've delivered you could relay in for various checkups." Allie said.

"Do you think I'd be okay?" Nora asked.

"As long as you stay long enough to heal from your current state. I think you are the healthiest person I've ever seen that lives above ground, and so is this baby. I would say you don't have anything to worry about." Allie said. "Was your first pregnancy difficult?"

"It was long, but no, there were no complications. Nora said. "Allie… can you see… _you know_ , what it is?" Nora asked,

"Yes, would you like to know?" Allie asked.

Nora nodded. Her face became bright as Allie brought up the monitor attached to her bed; a still image of an ultrasound was displayed. Nora instantly recognized a head; and it's hands and feet. Nora smiled a rare smile.

"This is your baby girl." Allie said. "She's small for her age, but with the fluids we've given you, and with a more steady diet, she should catch back up."

Nora had tears in her eyes, even though she didn't have John, she still felt like she was getting some sort of second chance.

* * *

The sun was falling below the horizon, the day was gone, and Nick and Hancock had nothing to show for it. Ben had been sent back to Goodneighbor, while Nick and Hancock had carried on to Jack Cabot's house. Hancock knew the loon was always locked up inside, he'd never met the man, but he had met Edward Deegan once or twice when he had visited Goodneighbor.

Nick rang the buzzer, watching as a Mr. Handy stood behind him, waiting.

"Yes." A voice said.

"Mayor Hancock speaking."

"And?"

"And… I'd like to come inside?" Hancock said.

"And why would I let you do that?"

"Just need to have a word with Jack Cabot. If that's okay with you." Hancock said.

"It's about a mutual friend of ours." Nick added.

They both heard a deep breath over the intercom.

"I might know what you're talking about, care to be specific?" Deegan asked.

"Nora." Nick said.

The communicator switched off, Hancock became angry at first, thinking Deegan was ignoring them, but then they both heard the door unlock, Edward Deegan was standing in the doorway ushering them in.

"Guess she's been here recently too." Nick said.

Hancock nodded as they stepped inside the house, both security bots returning to their patrol. Deegan shut the door and locked it behind them.

"Look Jack's asleep, but I'm not sure it's him you need to talk to."

"It's about his serum." Hancock said.

"And let me guess, you are the ghoul who took it?" Deegan asked.

"Well, yes I –"

"Yeah, it did what you think it did." Deegan said flatly, all three men were painfully aware of what he was referring to.  
"Nora didn't tell you?"

"We're not exactly speaking right now." Hancock said.

Deegan pinched the bridge of his nose. "She came here a couple months back asking about the serum, and if it was responsible for her… condition." Deegan said.

"The baby." Nick said flatly.

"Yes, and she specifically asked if it was possible for a ghoul to be the father, which Jack said _was_ entirely possible. You likely experienced skin changes, side effects?" Deegan asked.

"Yes." Was all Hancock replied, realizing his voice had faltered in tone; he forced a cough to fix it.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, she was really shaken up you know. I tried to help her, but she wouldn't let me." Deegan said, "I suppose explaining this to you is help enough?"

Hancock nodded, still trying to swallow an unspeakably large lump in his throat.

"Well, I suppose congratulations are in order, I'd offer you a drink and a cigar, but I need you to leave before Jack wakes up." Deegan said.

"Wait, do you know where she is, where she might have gone?" Nick asked, while he and Hancock were being ushered back out the door.

"She said… she wanted to just go home." Deegan said.

"If you see her, tell her we're looking for her." Hancock said.

With a sigh, and a nod Deegan shut the door.

"Fuck me." Hancock said.

"Do you believe him?" Nick asked.

"Actually I do. That serum, the way it made me feel…" Hancock said, "It was like I was completely healthy, no cough from cigarettes, no radiation sensation. It was like being young again."

Nick pat Hancock on the back when he realized his friend was having a very difficult moment.

"I sent her away… she's been doing this on her own." Hancock said. "And it is all my fault. Why wouldn't she come tell me?"

But Hancock knew the answer to that question.

"I let her leave a second time, hurt, and carrying _my_ kid! I don't deserve her Nick, I can't do this! She deserves so much better, how can I give her everything? How can I ever make up for this? God damn it!" Hancock said as he kicked the intercom to the Cabot residence. Jack's bot showed up right behind him spinning his hand saw as a threat.

Nick could hear the panic in Hancock's voice, it was thick with regret, the words seemed to be lumped in his throat.

"Then lets go find her so she doesn't have to do this alone anymore." Nick said.

"But where is home?" Hancock asked.

"Let's head to Sanctuary. When she leaves the Institute, it's the only place I could see her going." Nick replied.

* * *

_The Next day…_

Nick and Hancock ended up following Dogmeat into Sanctuary; the pups excitement had got the best of him, and he'd run across the bridge before the two of them even stepped foot on it.

"Seems like we're here." Nick said.

Hancock nodded and began to look around. It looked just the same as the day he and Nora had left. Hancock imagined what it had been like for Nora to live here before the war. These houses had been decorated for the Halloween, which only reminded him of the night they had killed that Dealthclaw together. Nora probably imagined that Shaun would grow up playing in her yard. Now Hancock found himself trying to do the same.

He'd never wanted a kid. He liked kids, sure, but even before he was a ghoul, it had never been something he wanted. But deep down he found himself hoping that Nora would forgive him enough just so that he could see the child and be a part if it's life… even if she didn't want him back.

Garvey greeted the two of them, two Minutemen trailed behind him, calling him General. Hancock smiled.

"Nick, good to see you." Garvey said. Preston only gave Hancock a slight look.

"Hey Preston, we're looking for Nora, you haven't heard from her, have you?"

"Not since she left with him, no." Garvey said, looking back at Hancock.

Nick shrugged his shoulders, "It was worth a shot. Guess we beat her here."

Hancock became increasingly frustrated, he knew it was unlikely that Nora would be here, but he had hoped. "If she's even coming here." Hancock muttered under his breath.

"Well, we're going to stay at her place for a few days, see if she turns up." Nick said.

"We are?" Hancock asked.

"That's right. When Nora comes home, she won't be alone anymore." Nick said with a smile.

"She's alone? Is she hurt?" Garvey asked.

"Well, we can only hope she's in safe hands at this point." Nick said.

"I'm guessing that means she's off being Nora." Garvey said.

While Nick and Garvey chatted, Hancock saw there was a caravan on the other side of the house. He walked towards the Brahmin, finding Trashcan Carla's small frame hidden behind the hoard tied to the brahmin's back. He traded a few items with her, restocked his jet stash, and couldn't help but look at a small teddy bear she had for sale.

Everything he felt in that moment was scary to him.

He wondered if Nora would survive all she's going through. The gunshot, the child, would she ever make it back to him? He gave Carla a few more caps and took a can of paint, a paintbrush, and even the bear.

Nick was now preoccupied with another settler, it seemed that Nick had frequented Sanctuary often, people knew him, and cared for him. Hancock liked this pleasant community, and hoped that Goodneighbor could be just like it one day. Nora was a good example to follow. _She always had been._

Hancock let himself into her home, still the same as before; Garvey had not taken her threat to leave as something that would be permanent. Hancock made his way to the back rooms, setting his things down in the hallway. He glanced into the room where he had first been with Nora, he wanted to remember the first time he had been inside her, except he couldn't stop thinking about the night prior to that when she had helped him through his withdrawal. If he closed his eyes he could hear her humming, _as if_ she was in the room next to him.

He opened his eyes; still disappointed she wasn't there.

Hancock pulled open her closet and rummaged through some tools, eventually taking her toolbox with him into the next room. He took off his coat and hat, setting them aside as he knelt down and began to sand the wooden legs of Shaun's old crib.

"What're you doing there?" Nick asked him.

"I'm not just sitting around waiting." He said. "I can't just sit still and wait for her to show up."

Nick didn't say much after that. Nick spent a few days helping the settlers with their chores like he used to, occasionally checking in on Hancock who had sanded the crib down to smooth wood, and was now applying a new coat of green paint. As the crib dried, Hancock tinkered with the mobile until it wound up and moved on it's own again. It no longer played a melody, but the rocket ships would spin around and around, just like a clock.

Hancock had fallen asleep after being up all night and all day working on that thing. Nick wondered if he would be okay in all of this. Nora was tough, Nick knew that, but Hancock wasn't taking this well, and the worst part is Hancock wouldn't talk about it.

_The next day..._

Nick told Hancock to return to Goodneighbor.

"You should check on things, see Ben. Make sure she didn't try to go back there." Nick said.

"Why would she ever go back there?" Hancock asked sullenly. "I'm the last person she'd want to see."

"She might." Nick said, "you never know."

"You'll wait for her here?" Hancock asked.

"I can." Nick said, "If you make a little stop for me at Diamond City."

"You know I can't go inside." Hancock said.

"Yes, but I'll have a few friends meet you, be outside the gates in three days, and make sure those girls get back safe." Nick said.

"I'm picking up your friends?" Hancock said flatly.

"And Nora's friends, Piper and Curie, they were close with Nora, and I suspect they'll want to see her too. Piper has a little sister, and I've sent her a letter explaining what's going on, I don't doubt that she'll bring a few baby things she's got lying around." Nick said. "With all that work you did on the crib, you gave me an idea."

"Alright. Three days. And we'll be back here in four." Hancock said.

"I'll see you then." Nick said.


	16. What A Lovely Way To Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nora realizes she may not have to do this alone after all.

After a couple weeks in the Med Bay, Nora was cleared healthy enough to leave the Institute. She was given a bag full of Institute pastes and purified water. Allie assured her that the meals given to her would allow her and her baby to have a steady diet. They tasted horrible, but Nora knew she had a stash of snack cakes back in Sanctuary that she was going to introduce to her stomach as well.

X6-88 escorted her to an underground tunnel leading through ancient parts of the Institute, until finally they broke ground just behind the CIT ruins.

X6-88 killed anything in their way, and even offered to carry Nora's bag the entire way. She had wished that they had spent more time together, but Nora had always been closer to Nick. Nick had helped her from the very beginning, and she only wished that he were here now.

When they passed the bridge into Sanctuary, Preston Garvey greeted her; he seemed to almost forget that the last time she was there, they had fought. Nora smiled as she heard the Minutemen calling him General, Garvey had the balls to take the job after all. Nora had been elated to hear that Nick had come to visit her, and Nora knew he would be surprised by her condition.

_Garvey hadn't mentioned anything about Hancock being with him._

Nora was grateful she still had a home in Sanctuary. And to her surprise when she opened her front door, Dogmeat greeted her with a bark. 'Nick must have found him,' she thought.

Her status was a shock to many, wondering who Nora could have possibly trusted to share he bed with. Many guessed that a gang of Raiders could have forced her, and this pregnancy could be that of unwanted rape. But it didn't matter, because she never told anybody. Nora thought about Hancock for a moment, wishing he would visit in the coming months, but she knew it just couldn't be possible.

X6-88 wished to stand guard at her front door while Nora managed to sit on her couch, she was exhausted from the days walk. She tried to read and choke down the horrible food paste. It tasted like grass; she tried to wash it down with a package of snack cakes and NukaCola. She sat on her living room couch with a blanket draped over her and Dogmeat resting between her legs.

After a short span of time, Nick had entered through the door, a small bouquet of fresh picked flowers in his hands.

"Nick!" Nora exclaimed as she tried to maneuver her way out of the couch. She was failing miserably.

"So the rumors are true!" Nick said, "You're a house."

"Nick." Nora said flatly.

"You can't even get up." Nick said, slightly laughing.

"No. I've been on this couch since we got here. I really need to pee though."

"So you haven't looked around the house?" Nick asked.

"No… should-" Nora began.

"No doll, here I got these for you." Nick said.

Nick handed her the flowers, then he grabbed a cracked vase off the shelf, filled it with water, before placing it on the coffee table before her. Nora completed the ensemble by placing them in the water. Nick helped her off the couch to embrace her in a hug.

"Hey kid," Nick said, "Why didn't you come to me first?"

"I-" Nora's eyes began to water. She hated this stupid inability to control her fucking tears. She knew Nick had to know about Goodneighbor, and about Hancock, he had brought Dogmeat home, and Nora hadn't been able to tear him away from Hancock's side.

"Nick I-" Nora began, then it all spilled out, months of feelings, regrets, and mistakes… "I should've told him, I just didn't want to lose him. I was afraid everything with Shaun… The Institute – I knew I'd lose him. I stayed as close to him as I could, for as long as I could."

"Shh – Shhh. Nora." Nick let her headrest on his shoulder while she cried out every memory she held. Seeing Hancock in Goodneighbor the last time had really torn her apart. "You're okay." He told her.

Nora was silent.

"Everything's okay with the baby?" Nick asked.

Nora nodded.

"And I take it you're not going back to the Institute?" Nick asked.

"Not unless I have to." She said. "X6-88 is programmed to… well do the hard part."

"I think you have the hard part, kid." Nick said. "That's why I brought a few friends."

"Who?" Nora asked. Just as she said it, she heard the familiar argumentative voice of Piper; she was outside, now arguing with X6-88.

_"_ _You'll be fine Curie, he's not going to do anything." Piper said._

"Curie too?" Nora asked her eyebrows raised.

"Uh, I thought you might need the medical training." Nick said.

Nora pulled open the front door to reveal Piper and Curie who were interrogating X6-88, he seemed unfazed by their comments.

"Nora will you tell Curie she's not going to be relayed into the Institute." Piper said.

"But he is a courser!" Curie said with her French accent.

"No one's exactly looking for your body, Curie. Plus you are _technically_ made by Robco Industries, not the Institute."

Nora watched Curie relax, and X6 seemed to be more preoccupied with something else, rather than the cackling girls.

"Well!" Piper said, "What did you think?"

"What do I think of what?" Nora asked.

"She hasn't seen it yet. She's too big to move." Nick joked. Nora quickly elbowed him in his wires.

"Seen what?!" Nora asked.

"We've only spent days working on it!" Piper said.

"I knew we shouldn't have left to find Carla." Curie said. "We could've showed 'her ourselves!"

"Carla? What? Why?" Nora asked. "I don't like this game." Nora crossed her arms.

"Come on blue!" Piper said. "Come see!" Piper took Nora's arm and led her into the house.

* * *

Hancock had listened to Nora cry into Nick's shoulder. He had been standing next to Piper and Curie, patiently waiting outside while Nick talked to Nora to make sure she was okay. Hancock couldn't help but look; he had seen a sweet Nora wrapped in blankets eating snack cakes. She looked so beautiful, and to watch her cry, to say those things she did. It drove him mad. Hancock walked off and around the other side of the house while Piper shot him angry looks.

_He didn't know if he could handle this._

X6-88's eyes had been on Hancock the entire time Nora had stood in the doorway.

* * *

Nora followed Piper's grasp, her eyes had been covered by Curie.

"I don't like being blind, guys. I'm very round, and venerable." Nora said, she hated not being able to see.

"Just a few more steps." Piper said.

Nora knew she was in Shaun's room. She felt slightly sick, but she realized it came from the scent of paint, she could feel a warm breeze make it's way through the walls. Then Curie removed her hands.

Nora blinked a few times to make sure what she was seeing was real. Shaun's room looked brand new. It was painted different colors, toys everywhere… clothes… small little girl clothes.

"These used to be Nat's when she was little." Piper said. "I hope they'll work. I mean their pink, but boys can wear pink too."

"Of course they will." Nora said as she thumbed the little pink garment, knowing that they _would_ work perfectly.

There was a complete set of alphabet blocks, board games, children's books, and then... there was the crib.

"Where did you find one in such good condition?" Nora asked as she clung to the painted wood. She spun the mobile, missing the lullaby, but she liked seeing the rocket ships spin.

"We didn't." Nick said.

Nora looked at him, and back into the crib, the mattress was new, and inside laid a hand-knitted yellow sweater, and a stuffed bear.

"This crib was yours." Nick said.

Nora touched the wood and felt the new coat of paint, she looked at Nick, she began to cry all over again. Piper hugged her and Nora tried to thank them.

"We didn't do this, you'll have to thank him, kid." Nick said as he nodded his head at the doorway.

Nora turned and felt her _and_ her baby's heart skip a beat when she saw a red coat leaning against the doorframe. The room was silent for a moment. A welling feeling began to squeeze her throat, but a smile spread across Nora's face. Nora left Piper's embrace and made her way straight to the doorway, without any hesitation, she embraced Hancock her arms slid underneath his coat and wrapped themselves around his thin body.

Hancock held her and hugged her back, both still silent. Until Hancock said, "I feel like there's something between us."

Nora laughed and pulled away from him; she let his hands slide to her stomach where their baby was kicking almost erratically. He felt every movement, what would have been his eyebrows raised so high it was almost comical. Nora giggled.

"Maybe… we should give these two a minute." Nick said. "They've got some catching up to do."

"Well so do we," Piper said, "So don't take too long."

The three of them slipped out of the doorway and left Nora's home, leaving them in silence. Hancock's eyes still hadn't left her stomach.

"I can't believe you did that for me." Nora said.

"It's the least I could do." He told her. "I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am. I talked with Deegan." Hancock said, "I know you went to see Jack. So is it…"

"-yours." Nora said while nodding.

"No, I know that." Hancock said. "Is it okay I mean? After everything?"

"Yes, she's as healthy as can be." Nora said as she placed her hands over his.

"She?" he asked.

Nora watched as Hancock's eyes light up.

"Yes, she." Nora said smiling. "And you're the only one who knows."

Hancock fell to his knees in that moment, his hands never leaving her; his forehead gently pressed against her belly.

"Could you ever forgive me?" he asked, "After everything I did? I know I don't deserve it-"

"Shh. Hancock." Nora said. He looked up at her in that moment, she hadn't called him John... he was unable to register any words.

 _"_ _John,"_ Nora corrected herself. "John, I love you, I always have, and I always will. I'm sorry I tried to hurt you-"

Hancock stood up, now pressing his forehead against Nora's head. "Don't you dare be sorry, not even for a moment." He told her, that familiar growl was in the back of his voice. "You are the only person I ever trusted to cover me. This person, the one I'm lookin' at right now, they're the one I love, and I don't want be without them ever again. I'm not ever giving you up, or this little girl. I made a mistake asking you to leave, I should have been going through this with you, watching her grow, taking care of you…"

"John, of course I can forgive you. I thought you would never forgive me." Nora said.

"Nick showed me a few things to help me understand. I was so angry before, I guess I thought no one would ever love me the way that you do, it was easy for me to tell myself lies." Hancock sighed, "I told myself you didn't really love me, because who would be crazy enough to have that kind of lapse in judgment. I was… so stupid. You're the only one… "

"Oh stop." Nora said, she was crying again but smiling.

"I've… been with others since you've been gone, I think you should know that, but I think you should also know that none of it was ever the same, you've ruined me. I – I can't be with anyone else, I can't lose you again, and I'll do anything to keep that from happening." John let out a large sigh. "I can't give you back the time we've been apart, but I would like the chance to make it all up to you." He said.

Nora took in his confession and apology all at once, she knew John, she knew that he must have suffered a great deal without her as well. She was just so happy to see him again, for him to touch her, and to be looking at her like he loved her again. "I don't ever want to be without you." Nora said just before she kissed him.

* * *

The evening was spent with the five of them laughing about old times. Hancock had allowed Piper and Curie to feel his daughter kick, but after a short time he pushed them away and resumed his claim on Nora's stomach. Nora thought Hancock might have actually glued himself to her stomach because one way or another, he was always touching her. Nora had fallen asleep when it got late, and everyone had opted to get some rest themselves, except Hancock.

At first, Hancock just carried Nora into her bedroom. He removed her shoes, and pants before placing her underneath a warm blanket. He was unsure of where their boundaries stood; and he didn't want to try and share her bed without her permission, he was going to leave her to get some rest. But Nora was awake enough that she pulled him into the bed before he could even leave the room. He removed his hat, coat, and shoes, and slid next to her so that their bodies were aligned once more. Hancock still couldn't sleep even as he lay next to Nora. He was finally right where he wanted to be, but his mind was always paying attention to every little movement the baby made. His excitement was actually going to drive him crazy.

He still couldn't believe she could forgive him, after everything. She was so kind and understanding, how could he deserve her? Let alone the baby they shared. He never thought much would come of his life after becoming a Ghoul. Then there was Goodneighbor, something he really thought he could hang his hat on… but now he had a whole life to look forward to, and one where he would get to watch his daughter grow into something amazing. He had to be a dad now, he had a job he had to be the best at, he had to do right for the both of them.

* * *

After a few hours, Nora had rolled over, her eyes were open, she was awake.

"You've been up this whole time, haven't you?" Nora asked.

"I don't want to miss anything." He told her as he brushed some of her hair out of her face.

Nora closed the space between them and shared another kiss with him; she deepened the kiss, and started to nip and his bottom lip. But Hancock pulled away from her.

"You aren't going to miss anything." Nora assured him.

"But I've already missed so much." He said. "I've been... I was awful to you."

Nora sighed. "Can I ask what Nick showed you? I… I'm just curious."

"He showed me…" Hancock sighed, "well, I saw you in that vault. I watched your husband die, and I watched them take away Shaun."

Nora's eyes began to water at the thought of the memory.

"Then he introduced me to Kellogg, and _the old you,_ the one that was fresh out of the vault. And he showed me that night in Diamond City, at the Agency. After you had found out… about everything."

Nora remembered this well; it had been the most painful day of her life, more so then watching her husband murdered and her son kidnapped. That was the day she had lost all hope.

"I wanted to kill my brother." Hancock breathed. "But I could never have done it. Maybe now that I know he's not my brother… but I understand the feeling of family, there's a certain undying loyalty to them, even when they can disappoint us."

Nora was on her back now, Hancock's hand still glued to her belly.

"I'm sorry that I ever doubted you." Hancock said. "I know you never told me about my brother because you didn't want me to share the same pain." Hancock touched Nora's face, "Please don't cry. I'd cry if I could."

Nora laughed and kissed him again. "John, I wanted to tell you. I almost did that day we walked to the Cambridge Polymer Lab. I was so scared, and when everything happened... it was easy for me to push it away. But... we'll be okay. We can both start over, leave everything in the past and make our own family. "

"I can leave Goodneighbor behind, we can stay here, we can raise her here." Hancock told her.

Nora just shook her head. "No, I couldn't let you do that." She's said. "We'll raise her in Goodneighbor. That has always been our home."

"I – I don't know what to say, you'd really want that?" he asked.

"I think deep down, I've always wanted it." Nora said. "Ever since I've found out I was pregnant, I kept trying to find a way to tell you, a way to make up _– because… my home is with you."_

John leaned in and kissed her. They kissed for a long moment before John broke apart.

"What about names?" he asked.

Nora rolled her eyes and kissed him again, "That's a conversation for the morning." She said, Nora resumed kissing him and waited to feel John relax against her. Finally he was enjoying it.

Hancock held her as close to him as possible, but he was careful not to disturb her. He was kissing her gently, carefully, and Nora could tell. Nora stepped up her game by removing her over sized t-shirt, now she was just in her underwear, and Hancock had the first eyeful of her naked swollen body.

Her breasts were enlarged, her stomach stretched, and hips wider. He wasn't sure why, but it was the most erotic thing he'd ever seen. Hancock resumed kissing her, but he was still being timid.

"John." Nora whispered, "Touch me."

"How?" he asked.

Nora almost erupted with laughter; the famous Casanova didn't know how to touch her.

"Basically anywhere, I'm a volcano waiting to erupt. Anything works when your – _Ahhhhh, yeah like that."_ Nora said arching her back. Hancock had barely cupped her breasts, and he'd never seen Nora do something so responsive. He carefully massaged her breasts, feeling how swollen they had become filled him with desire. They were heavy in his hands, his fingers couldn't wrap around them anymore. He kissed her neck, playfully biting her collarbone… the mewls coming from her lips were unlike anything he'd ever heard, he was barely touching her.

Nora was breathing heavily; her body was already flush with desire. His hand slid over her swollen belly and underneath her underwear. She jumped at his touch, moaning loudly, she was slick between her folds, and so warm. He gently brushed over her hooded nub and immediately heard her breathing waver. She was melting under his touch, but he had never been more hesitant.

He wasn't sure if her orgasm came when he slid a finger inside her, or before that. Because all he could feel were her insides contracting around him. Her body was hot and shaking, it was beautiful to watch. He removed his finger to taste her, she was so sweet. He returned to kissing her in-between her quick breaths. She was reaching for the hem of his pants, trying to rid him of the garment all-together.

"Nora, I can't, I don't want to hurt you." Hancock said.

"It's perfectly safe." Nora replied breathlessly.

"You're sure?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes, John. And I swear to God if you waste another minute…"

John moved in front of her, he could still feel the heat from her body, and the wetness from between her legs. Just when she thought he would enter her, she felt the sensation of his tongue. Nora nearly cried at the feeling. She couldn't even muster any words, she was just a wiggling mess of moans and the occasional chant of John's name.

"You've never tasted like this before." He said. "You taste so good." He returned to her folds and spent his time between her legs. He was surprised at how soon she was already shaking and calling out his name.

 _"_ _John… oh, ahhh."_ Was her only reply.

"Come for me, come for me again." He said.

Nora cried out, " _yes, yes… yes! Oh, John!"_ Just before she came again, he kept licking her even during her orgasm, each flick of his tongue caused her to shake and shudder.

He leaned forward, draped over her, but careful so as not to rest on her stomach.

"Damn, I've missed you Nora." He told her just before he kissed her. Nora moaned into his mouth, tasting herself and becoming wide eyed at the sweet taste that lingered in his lips.

"I want you inside me." She said with a quivering voice. "I need to feel…"

"This?" he asked, as he slowly slid inside her wet opening.

Nora heaved a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes and relished in the feeling she had thought about for months. She felt complete. She almost registered a moment of disbelief until she opened her eyes again to find John's black ones. She sat up best she could so that he could place kisses all over her face, each one an apology for every moment that they were apart. She watched him lift his shirt off his shoulders, matching the nakedness at his waist. She had missed this scarred figured above her - she had been dreaming about it for quite some time.

John didn't know what was his happiest memory. The lounger had told him it was the first time Nora had said she loved him, but he couldn't tell if that memory outweighed the memory of her forgiving him, like this, underneath him, moaning his name… moaning, _"I love you."_ even after everything.

He held onto her hips while he made love to her with her stomach still between them. He'd never been with a woman like this before, one that shook under each and every thrust – she was lost in the things he was doing to her, she came a third time, screaming his name. He'd savored that feeling, but it had only spurred him on, this had been what he was looking for. For months he had been incomplete, no woman being able to comfort him, no warmth was able to make it's way to his heart, but this… was enough to melt him. He came inside her just as she came a fourth time, and he was sure half the commonwealth had heard her.

He lay next to her, feeling the fever radiating from both their bodies, " _what a lovely way to burn," he thought._

Nora kissed him briefly before he got to watch her drift into a comfortable slumber. And for the first time in a long time, John felt like he could sleep too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope... I did this reunion justice.


	17. His Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for me to update, final chapters are always hard, I don't want it to be over, plus these chapters are just damn hard to write. I hope it is as fluffy as you'd like. Here's to a happy story, with a happy ending. Cheers!
> 
>  

 

"You know she's already pregnant, you can't put another baby in her." Piper said walking past Hancock in the kitchen. She was boiling water to make a pot of coffee.

"I know that, Piper." John said.

"Seems like you were trying really hard to last night." Piper quipped. "Nick was ready to bust through the door until she starred screaming your name."

"What can I say, sister? I aim to please." John quipped back. Piper let out an audible, 'ew' at the thought of Nora and John having sex.

It had been a couple months since they'd all settled into Sanctuary, waiting for Nora to grow even larger. It seemed like every night someone accidentally walked by while Nora and Hancock had been… indisposed.

Nick was quiet at the table, pretending not to hear their conversation. He was even humming _, 'Worry, worry, worry,'_ to block out their banter. Nora came sauntering out off the hallway with a smile on her face. The smile she had acquired from John last night still hadn't left her. She sat next to Nick as she ate a hard boiled mirelurk egg, it was like old times. But Nora shuddered when X6 reminded her that she had several of tubes of paste to eat today, he handed her the first one. Everyone watched as she ate the food through a squeezable tube. All curious as to what it tasted like. The look on her face told them that they didn't want to be the next to try it.

Nora allowed herself one cup of coffee to wash it down.

"She's too big. I don't think I need to keep eating these pastes." Nora said.

"Negative." X6 stated.

Nora rolled her eyes, she knew better than to argue with him. For the rest of the morning, Nora had just hummed pre-war songs that nobody recognized. She lay on the couch with her head in John's lap. Piper sat at her feet, and Curie watched her stomach curiously.

"Did you feel 'zat?" she would ask, seeing her skin move.

"Yes, I felt that." Nora said.

They had spent their days like that for a while now, Piper would read to her the latest issue of Publick Occurrences, while Hancock would hold her and stare at her or her stomach for almost the entire morning.

But today was a different day then the others. Nora had been holding John's hand when she felt her first contraction. She had squeezed his hand, harder than usual, and he had noticed.

"What's new sunshine?" he asked her.

"Nothing." Nora said once the pain had subsided. She had grown to like these last few months, the quiet days where everyone sat around like one big happy family. Nora wasn't sure she was ready for it to end.

Several hours later, another pain crippled her abdomen; she kept her expression still, maintaining a look of just mild discomfort.

"You okay, sunshine?" John asked again.

"Right as rain." She smiled up at him.

After another hour, Nora's discomfort had caused her to pace about the house. She would go into the baby's room and unfold and refold clothes while X6 kept a painfully close eye on her. Nick and Curie had left to buy some more food when Carla arrived. Piper and John were still sitting in the living room, both of them eager to eat some dinner.

Nora wasn't able to hide the next pain that swept through her body. As she exited the hallway, it had hit her, she grasped at the couch they sat on, clinging to it so she wouldn't fall.

"Sunshine." John said again standing up immediately.

"I'm okay." Nora said, "She's just doing summersaults is all."

"You're sure?" John asked again.

"Oh is little Piper playing too hard?" Piper asked.

"That's not her name." John said flatly.

"That's what you think." Piper said with a smile and a pat to Nora's stomach.

Nora stood back up once the pain had passed. She regained her composure and managed to save face while they all relaxed.

X6 had his back against the kitchen wall, still watching the whole thing. He was aware that Nora could have the baby in the next twenty-four hours, why she was hiding the fact, he wasn't sure, but he went along with it anyway.

It was after dinner that he grew concerned. Nora had taken several cups away from the table for cleaning, and while they all sat at the table, he watched as her amniotic sac ruptured and water spilled out from between her legs. Nora looked upset, almost scared. X6 stepped next to her; his hand came behind her back, supporting her.

"You can't hide it any longer." He said.

Nora just shook her head and began to cry. "What if I'm not ready?" She whispered. She noticed the faces watching her from the dining room table now.

"You have to be." He said.

"She still has one more week." Nora told him.

"We can't keep her in there, if she wants to come out, she's coming out." X6 told her.

"Nora, sunshine? What's going on?" John asked.

Nora bit her lip in response, she signed and admitted, "my water broke."

Curie was the first to rise from her chair; she came to Nora's other side, carefully helping her away from the small puddle so that she wouldn't slip.

John was the last person to rise; he had suddenly become petrified at the thought that everything he'd been dreaming about for months was about to come true. Nick pat him on the back as they all headed to the couch. They pulled it away, removing the cushions and laying down several blankets. Nora leaned with her back against the wall, as John joined her at her side. X6 was checking her pulse, and with just his fingers, he was able to check the baby's heart beat.

Nora jumped when Curie's hand delved between her thighs.

"What, whoa, now that's my job!" John said.

"Non, Non." Curie said. "This is not your job."

Nora grabbed John's hand; assuring him this was all how it had to go.

Nick sat at her other side, as far away from her legs as he could get. Curie had given her a blanket for her knees, but Piper seemed not to care and would wander around the room excitedly, occasionally taking a peak at what was going on.

"How long do we have to wait!?" Piper asked.

"Not long. She's been in labor since this morning." X6 stated.

"What!" almost everyone exclaimed in unison.

"It could have been false labor!" Nora said in her defense. "I went to the hospital two weeks early with Shaun only to get sent home an hour later."

"Well you still could've said something." Nick stated.

"I guess I'm just scared, doing this here, without all the stuff from last time…"

"We're here." John said. "You're not alone, and that's what's important."

_[Several hours passed…]_

Nora pressed her head against his while another contraction flooded through her body.

"They're getting closer," X6 said.

"Oh please don't tell me that, Ahhhhh!" Nora said as another one came crashing down on her.

"I think it's time." X6 stated. "You may begin pushing."

"I agree. Oui," Curie said as she removed her hand from between her legs once more. "You are ready."

"No, no, no, no…" Nora said shaking her head.

"Nora this is it!" Piper exclaimed.

"Come on kid, you got this." Nick told her, holding her left hand.

But it was Hancock that really gave her the courage. "Hey Sunshine, let's meet out our new ray of sunshine." He whispered in that voice Nora had come to love.

Nora took both their hands and began to expel the pain from her body. She had remembered the drugs that the hospital had given her for Shaun, the pain was immense, but somehow… this was worth it. She let her head fall back as X6 and Curie let her rest, she could hear them say _, come on, one more, Nora, one more…_

Then she heard it. The unmistakable cry of a baby.

Nora opened her eyes long enough to see a plump baby girl being pulled from her body still attached to her chord. She was beautiful, a perfect little ray of sunshine. Curie had taken her, cleaned her, and swaddled the baby in a yellow blanket before Curie handed her to Hancock. He took her, gently, carefully holding the smallest fragile thing he thought he'd ever seen in his life.

"Nora look," John said. "Open your eyes, Nora. Look at our ray of…" he voice trailed off. Nora was pale, her face covered in beads of sweat. He looked back at Curie and X6, they were frantically packing and pulling rags soaked with blood. _Something was wrong._

"This is out of my programming." He stated. "I must resort to a new course of action."

"What do you have in mind?" Curie asked.

"I must relay back to the institute, I need a med pod if we want to stop this bleeding." X6 stated.

"What? Is she okay?" Piper asked, as she knelt next to Curie; Piper saw the amount of blood and looked at John. John hated how Piper's face told him everything he needed to know.

Curie and X6 packed a few more sponges to absorb what they could. X6 closed her legs and lifted a now unconscious Nora from the makeshift bed. Nick had been unable to let go of her hand, Curie had to reach out to him, and then Nick let Nora's fingers fall from his grasp. They all stood and watched as X6 walked onto Nora's front lawn, and disappeared into a flash of lightening.

Their disbelief was interrupted by the cry of a new baby.

* * *

The four of them managed to be patient for a few hours after Nora and X6 relayed into the institute. But they hadn't done so comfortably. Hancock was holding his daughter, and for the first time in his life he was at a loss for words. There was nothing he could say to this little girl that he thought he was even worthy of saying. She was a breath of life, she was his life, she was half his life, half Nora's life.

Nick had been next to hold her, Hancock had taken a moment to have a cigarette outside as he watched his little girl from the window. He realized he had blood on his hands… Nora's blood. He looked at the small yellow bundle, unable to feel content. Without Nora… he was terrified of that small yellow bundle. That bundle would need him, and without Nora, he wondered if he could handle the job.

He ashed out his cigarette and watched Nick hand her to Piper. She was so calm right now, so tired from being pulled from her mother.

"What do we do?" Hancock asked in the silence.

"I – " Piper said, "I don't know."

"I guess we wait." Curie said.

"I don't know if I can." Hancock said. "I look at her and I'm calm, but when I look away from her, I'm about to fall apart."

"I know how you feel." Nick said.

Piper handed the baby to Curie who looked amazed at the gift of life. "I have learned so much from her already." Curie said.

Hancock reached out and held the smallest hand he'd ever seen. Then she began to cry, and cry, almost as if she knew her mother was nowhere to be found.

"She is hungry." Curie stated. Hancock could only listen to his daughter cry for a few minutes before he went to their bedroom and pulled out Nora's PipBoy from their nightstand. He came back into the living area, he could still see blood stained sheets on the floor. He strapped the PipBoy to his own wrist and motioned for Curie to give him the small yellow bundle that he already loved so much.

"You're crazy." Nick said.

"I'm not letting my daughter starve." Hancock said, "And I have to know if she's okay."

"So do we." Piper said.

"Then I'll come back. As soon as I can." Hancock said. He left his coat draped over the back of the couch, and took off his hat before he walked outside into the lawn. Standing where X6 had stood, he pressed the button on Nora's PipBoy. He wasn't ready for the sensation that came next.

John's feet became grounded and he opened his eyes to white. It was so bright here; it took time for his eyes to adjust. In his arms was a safe baby, she was still fussing, and John looked up, around him stood a few people, some shocked, that he stood before him others were down right horrified at a Ghoul standing in their commons area.

"Where did he take her?" John asked plainly.

One woman pointed behind him.

He saw a bright red plus sign for medical. He stepped forward, making his way to the medical center; the light was still hurting his eyes. He saw several people in the room filled with tiny med pods. They were all clean and bright eyed, so this is what the institute was like. He had never felt so out of place before in his life.

X6 caught his gaze from across the room. John walked up to him.

"How is Nora?"

"She's alive. We're giving her blood now. She had lost too much." X6 stated.

"But she?"

"Should live."

A blonde woman interrupted John's sea of questions. "Mother." X6 stated.

"X6-88… she's finally stable." Allie Fillmore told him. "Is this _her?_ " she asked looking down at the small bundle John's arms. "May I examine her?"

"She's hungry." Was all John said. Allie held out her hands to take the baby, John pulled away, "I'd rather not." He told her. "I don't want to leave her."

"Very well. Bring her over here." Allie told him.

"Z7-87, can you bring the milk you extracted earlier?"

A man in a grey suit promptly placed a warm baby bottle on the table by Allie.

"We were going to send X6-88 back with this, but now that you're here…" Allie said. "You can feed her."

John was scared; he was uncomfortable here, and now even more comfortable being asked to do something he'd never done before. He didn't want to mess this up. He felt like feeding her was the most important thing he'd ever done. This felt stranger than becoming a ghoul. This pink little baby was in his scarred arms and she was perfect in every way. He was imperfect. And he still felt so unworthy holding her.

"Sit here," Allie said, John sat in a small cold chair while Allie placed a medical device on his daughter's chest. "Did Nora pick a name for her yet?"

"She's… no. She's just my little ray of sunshine." Was all John said.

Allie pulled the medical device from his daughter's chest and she helped him angle the way he was holding her. "Now hold her head in your arm, yes, like that, and now she'll do the rest." Allie said.

John let his little girl take the bottle and she eagerly accepted it, sucking on it like she was famished. John leaned back, he felt the cool touch of a pod beside him, and he realized it was Nora. She was inside the pod. Somehow being in the institute with a baby, and Nora in a pod made him think of Nate. He wondered if they'd try to take his sunshine from him too.

He struggled holding the bottle while the PipBoy weighed on his arm, but he managed, now it seemed like he was just waiting for his other sunshine to wake up. John had kept an eye on her, and became puzzled when a small dark-skinned boy came up to the glass that showed Nora's face. He tapped on the glass gingerly, he seemed sad.

The little boy looked at John and became wide-eyed. John though the kid was going to scream at the sight of him. Instead he just asked, "is that her?"

John looked down at his now sleeping daughter. The look on his face was just puzzled.

"Dr. Fillmore told me she was having a girl. I'm Shaun." He said.

Hancock's eyes widened at the little boy's name. He knew it couldn't just be a coincidence.

"Shaun." Was all Hancock said.

"I miss her you know. She's always on the surface. Never comes to see me." Shaun said. "She says I make her sad." Shaun was gazing into the pod where Nora was still sleeping.

"Can I hold her?" Shaun asked. "I won't wake her, I promise!"

John contemplated how to tell the boy no, but he found that his arms were already outstretched, letting the boy pick her up.

"She's so small. I hope mom let's me play with her." Shaun said. "I made her this." Shaun handed him a small doll made of cloth and string for hair. The face had been drawn on with a marker. Hancock placed it in his pocket. "Make sure she knows it's from me when she's grows up." Shaun said.

"Sure kid."

"I bet you'll be a cool dad." Shaun said.

Hancock had no idea why this was this kid was the first person to just know that he was the father, rather than assume he couldn't be.

"Shaun have you been up all night?" X6-88 asked as he returned to the medical bay.

"No – I just – I heard someone say she was here. So I came to see her." Shaun admitted.

"Well go back to bed, both these girls need to rest, hand her back to the Mayor."

Shaun placed the baby back in Hancock's arms before walking away like a kid sent to bed without his dinner.

"Am I seeing things?" Hancock asked.

"That is S9-23. Father programmed him to think Nora is his mother, he is an exact replica of her real son." X6 stated. "He lives here, and Nora hasn't seen him in a long time…"

Hancock was stunned at the fact that a synth boy existed, and a copy of Nora's ghost no less. He could see Nora in his eyes. Hancock was about to ask X6 why Nora hadn't brought him to live with her, but the pod began to beep and both of them stood back as it opened automatically. Nora began to blink.

"John?" she asked sheepishly.

"I'm here Nora," he said.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"The Institute. X6 brought you."

The pod began to fold and the glass stopped at her feet, Nora was sitting up now, she could see all around her, but her eyes were glued to John's arms. Nora began to cry, and John had grown accustomed to her eyes welling up and a smile crossing her face. Nora's arms reached out and John placed the sleeping baby in her arms.

"Oh she's perfect…" Nora cooed.

"Like her mom." John said.

"Where did she get all this red hair?" Nora asked.

"Well shit, I guess that's mine." John admitted.

The small little bundle opened her eyes and look at her mother for the first time. "Oh John… _she has your eyes_."

"Shit. I guess there's that too." He said rubbing the back of his head almost bashful that the kid looked so much like him.

"What have you been calling her?" Nora asked. "We never decided which we liked best."

"I've just been calling her my ray of sunshine." John said.

Nora smiled at him. She had never been closer to John then they were in the last few months.

"She can be our ray of sunshine." Nora said. "I don't like any of the other names."

"Ray of sunshine is a mouthful, sweetheart." John told her.

"Then just Ray. Let's just call her Ray." Nora said.

* * *

John returned to sanctuary that morning to tell everyone that Nora would be okay. Ray was left with Nora and both of them were to relay back later on when Nora was cleared to leave. John realized it physically hurt him to be apart from them. He had smoked an entire pack of cigarettes by the time Nora appeared in the middle of the street holding his daughter. John and Nick ran out to meet her, Nick took Ray from her arms and John picked her up and carried her inside.

"You had me so worried!" Curie said.

"Yeah don't scare a girl like that." Piper said. "I thought – I thought we'd lost you."

"A Deathclaw can't kill me pipes."

"Should you be up already?" Nick asked.

"I'll never understand why the medbay heals as fast as it does." Nora said. "I want to spend some time recovering here… maybe a few days. Then John and I are going to head back to Goodneighbor."

"Goodneighbor?" Nick asked.

"But we painted that WHOLE ROOM!" Piper exclaimed.

"Least I'll be closer to you Pipes." Nora said.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Nick asked. He would never have thought Goodneightbor would be the place to raise a baby.

"It's getting so big now, and John's been away so long." Nora said. "It's my home, it always has been."

Everyone was silent.

"I know for the last few months it's been valid, but me and John… we've always been meant for one another. I think I feel in love with him the first time I met him at the Third Rail. I… want you to all know that I'm happy he's the father of Ray, I couldn't think of anyone better for the job."

"Of course, kid." Nick said. "I know first hand how much John cares about you… I wouldn't have let him come with me if he hadn't proved himself."

"I see the way he looks at you…" Piper said. "I know it's something that I want one day."

Hancock was slightly blushing at all the compliments he was receiving. He didn't deserve a single one.

The baby began to cry in Nora's arms, she stood up and excused herself from the room to go feed her. John was looking at what remained of Nora's family.

"I… want to take care of her." John said. "Both of them, really. Well. Obviously."

"You sure you're up for the task?" Nick asked.

"I couldn't have asked for a better gift." Hancock stated. "I've been given two lives to care for, and they're the two most beautiful things I've ever seen. I don't think one man should ever be so lucky."

Nick smiled at him. "You're damn right." Nick said. "But just know I'll be stopping by from time to time. I… uh wanna see the little one."

"Of course Nick, my home is your home." Hancock said.

* * *

Hancock and Nora spent their last night in Sanctuary sleeping in each other's arms. Ray had been asleep for a few hours allowing them to get some rest. Hancock woke up before Nora, silently watching his two favorite women sleep. He sat up from bed, Nora was still sound asleep, but he couldn't help but check on Ray. She was adorned in pink, Piper's doing, but if anything it just made her cheeks that much pinker. The crib had been moved next to Nora's bed, making it easier for Nora to sleep between feedings.

But as Ray began to stir, Hancock began to panic. He watched as she squirmed, and as soon as she began to cry, he felt afraid.

"Pick her up." Nora said sleepily.

"I… I'm not sure she wants me to." He would say.

"Don't be silly. She needs you." Nora said as she shut her eyes once again.

Hancock lifted the small girl, her face was upset, and he sat down next to Nora, ready for Nora to take her.

"She doesn't need me." Nora said.

"Of course, she's hungry." John said.

"No, no, she's fine. Hold her." Nora said as she pushed the little girl against him.

"She needs you, Nora." John said. But just as he did the little girl settled and cooed at him just before closing her eyes again.

"She just wants to know she's not alone." Nora said. "Now that you're holding her, she's content."

John just stared at the girl in his arms; she had slept like this before, but usually after Nora had fed her. John felt a little better knowing he had soothed her.

"I gotta tell ya, she scares me to death." John said.

"Good." Was all Nora said before falling back into a deep sleep.

For the rest of the night, John stayed up holding his daughter while she slept. He whispered to her how he would protect her, how nothing would ever harm her… _he realized just how much he had to protect her from._

The sun rose that morning, and his daughter was once again hungry, and he reluctantly released Ray from his grasp. She truly was his world. As he watched Nora feed Ray, he realized how fragile his life had become. At any moment he could lose everything.

"When you-" John started.

Nora looked up at him.

"After Ray… you were so pale, and so weak, I could help but see you on the floor of the Polymer Lab, you know?" John said. "I had this feeling all over again like I'd lose you, and then there was Ray, and I was so scared I would fail her somehow and lose her too. I just… that feeling was so heavy, the feeling that I might lose you." John said.

"That's what it feels like when you love someone John. And it's worse when you have a little one. The worry they can cause is profound. But the love that they bring is immeasurable."

"So I could feel like this all the time?" he asked.

"You'll get used to it." Nora said.

"Just… just promise me something," John said, "promise me you're not going anywhere."

"I'm not John. I don't intend to, but I can't control everything in the Commonwealth. If I ever do, I know Ray will be safe with you." Nora said. "Same goes for you, you know. I don't want you going anywhere. I don't want to lose you. I've lost my family before and I intend not to let that happen again."

"We all know how far you'll go for your family." John said.

Nora just smiled at him. "At least I get a chance this time, to do everything right from the start."

"I know sunshine." John said, he was staring now, "you're both so… perfect."

Nora smiled at him, wrapped up their daughter and handed her back to him. Nora placed a kiss on his forehead before she left the room to prepare for their trip back to Goodneighbor. Even though his ray of sunshine still scared him, he felt a little better knowing that it was because he loved her so much. She was perfect in every way, and he would always be in debt to Nora for giving him the most precious gift he could ever ask for.

* * *

[A little ways down the road.]

Nora and Hancock returned to Goodneighbor to a party of congratulations. Hancock was pleased to see his town had kept itself together, if not grown while he was away. Goodneighbor's capacity was full and citizens not only adored their mayor, but his family as well. Hancock had molded his town into a place where people were really hell bent on being a "good" neighbor. Ben and his family were still happily living in the warehouse, and they were more than elated when Nora retuned with a baby. Holly had all but kidnapped Hancock's daughter, a baby in the Commonwealth was something people really praised.

And once Ray was about a year old, John convinced Nora to have Shaun come and stay with them. Meeting the boy had instilled something within him, and Nora had taken some convincing, but after visiting Shaun a few times, she agreed with Hancock.

Nora and Hancock now spent their time in Goodneighbor raising their daughter… and son.

Hancock had done a good job convincing Nora that Shaun was just a synth looking for his mother, and no matter how much he looked like the other Shaun or _thought he was Shaun_ … he was just another little boy looking for his mother's love.

And Nora did well with Shaun with her, in fact, it took away the stress she had felt from the past. Like she could finally close a chapter on her life. Perhaps by keeping Synth-Shaun close to her, she was able to achieve closure, and take away the guilt she felt from leaving him behind in Advanced Systems.

The top two floors of the Old State House were converted into a home for Hancock and his family. The free bedding was moved to the basement floor, and Hancock and his family occupied the top floor the most often. His chem usage had almost disappeared, finding that a family was a very real sort of drug that he couldn't turn down. They were perfect for him; they waited for him, cared for him, and loved him. Any void he'd ever tried to fill with chems was enveloped by the ability to have his family.

Things were far from perfect in the Commonwealth, a ruined land scarred by bombs. But at least he could say his future was much brighter now. John and Nora were still the perfect team, not only in helping the Commonwealth, but in taking care of his town, and most importantly, his family.

For the first time since he'd left Diamond City… he felt whole. And that was more than enough to keep him from going feral.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well. It's over. I hope I can do more justice to this fandom in my other stories, this is such a fun place to be, and Hancock is so much fun to write! I've got one story underway, and another already in the making. So I hope I see all your faces again soon! I'm really, really, sad this story is over, I hope you loved it!


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